Vital statistics :

Name : Ben Elton
Age : 41
Famous for : being the creator of "The Young Ones", a stand up comedian, comedy writer, author, and film director
Maritial status : married to Sophie for six years, one year old twins
Lives : Camden Town, London
Favourite hangs : any decent pub; Bombay Brasserie

Q : You had three rounds of IVF treatment with your wife. What was that like?

It's not a pleasant thing to go through, but the thing to remind yourself of in any adversity in life is what you already have. Sophie and I had each other, which is why we wanted the baby, so we were already ahead of the game.

Q : How much of your own experience is in your new film, "Maybe Baby"?

It's fairly clear that it's a personal project - it is a romantic comedy about a couple who have trouble concieving and go on a challenging journey. It's not me and my wife, but it's no secret that we had a lot of the same troubles.

Q: With such a heavyweight cast, what was the atmosphere like on set?

It was a very happy set. Everyone even came to the wrap party - Joanna Lumley, Emma Thompson, Dawn French - and Rowan Atkinson made it along to the premiere. He doesn't do that sort of thing often because he's a very private person. It was lovely - hard work - but I've known these people for a long time. It was challenging though. There's a rule at Heathrow traffic control that, whenever someone's filming, they have planes fly over the set. Joanna's a real pro and a tremendous asset. She knew all the crew's names by the end of the first morning. Rowan and I have worked together hundreds of times, so we tend to talk in shorthand.

Q: With such a diverse career already, what would you like to work more in?

I'd love to get more into films. I have just directed my first one, which I'm very proud of, but I'd love to do another one. Now I'm doing a musical with Andrew Lloyd Webber, but movie making is my thing. I love making movies more than I can tell you.

Q: How seriously do you take excercise and keeping healthy?

Until the babies were born, I took it quite seriously - not in terms of going to the gym - but I love to be active, so I'll always walk. Any journey I can do on foot, I will. London is blessed with lots of splendid parks. Regents Park is my park because I live just near there. It's lovely. I go running occasionally with a small weight in each hand because, basically 15 years ago I realised that if I wanted to carry on drinking (which I do - I love drinking), I'd have to do some excercise. Now the babies are here, I don't have time to run. But I'm looking forward to taking them walking.

Q: When it comes to your diet, do you keep an eye on what you eat?

Not really. For breakfast I'll have a bit of toast or a bowl of cereal. I'm not very good at diet. I like bad food - chips and Yorkshire pudding. I eat vegetables out of duty. I'm a bit juvenile that way. My mum said I'm gastronomically timid. It took me a while to get into greens. Those nutrition posters say that you're meant to eat five servings of greens a day - I don't think I do that in a week. I tried food combining once, but it didn't work so I dropped it.

Q: Which actors do you most admire and for what reasons?

At the moment, I'm singing the praises of the cast of my film. I was under a lot of pressure to cast an American - or Hugh Grant - in the lead role (like Australia, the British are caught in the headlights of America), but I insisted on casting the people I thought were right for the roles. Now the Americans have bought the film and I'm very proud of that.

Q: What are some of your favourite films and who is your favourite director?I have too many favourite films. But the best comedy films would have to be battled out between "Spinal Tap" and "Monty Python's Holy Grail" - it's just so incredibly precise in its comic timing. It's a delightful piece. I like old films as well. There's nothing like watching a good black and white if you're having a night in. Woody Allen is probably my favourite film director. "Crimes and Misdemeanours" is a favourite drama of mine.

Q: What is the greatest compliment you have ever recieved as a comedian?

The biggest compliment any comedian can have is someone buying a ticket to sit down and listen to you. I had two fantastic tours through Australia in 1993 and 1997. I'm not kidding you when I say that at the time my first novel, "Stark", went to number one in Australia in 1989 I was completely unknown in your country except for "The Young Ones". I was known in Australia as a novelist long before anyone knew me as a stand up comedian ad I always remember that as being a really lovely thing for me.

Q: How do you cope with all the hype that goes with being a celebrity?

People are very polite in general. I go on London transport, I go on the Tube and every now and again someone will say "well done". I've been well known in Britain now for 15 or 16 years. It's nice going to a restaurant - they always find you a good table.