Mammoth – Mike Bobbin’s comedy about a PE teacher recently reawakened after being frozen in a coma in 1979 – returns to BBC Two on Monday December 1at 10pm. Here the comic talks about the seres… 

Where do we find Tony Mammoth at the start of the new series?

We find Mammoth settling into family life as a dad to Mel and a grandad to Theo and a best friend of Roger.

Viewers can expect to see him trying to get match fit, in a bromance with Mel’s new boyfriend, locking horns with an adversary from the 70’s, being a protective father, a substandard work colleague and a quite frankly disappointing head of department.

What’s the appeal of the character?

I think everybody knows a Tony Mammoth or someone very similar. Because he’s been stuck under the snow for 45 years, he’s everyone’s granddad, or dad if you’re middle-aged. You love them but you wish they’d keep some things to themselves. There’s a Tony in everybody's life, growing up it might have been a teacher; or a work colleague or family member you will know.

He’s relatable and I’m biased because I love him, but I’d say Mammoth is likeable. He's a nice bloke who says the wrong stuff, trying to do the right things but using the wrong methods.

What’s your favourite episode or memory from the new series?

There’s a bromance montage with Al Roberts who plays Matthew, Mel’s new boyfriend, which was very funny to do. We got to take Polaroids together, hang out in an art class, throw frisbee and cycling in my double denim! Riding speedboats in Cardiff Bay and the football training sequences were also a lot of fun.

I think everyone has raised the bar in this series. Sian [Gibson] who plays my daughter Mel is very funny and we made each other corpse quite a bit while filming. 

I got to hang out more with Joel [Davison] who plays my grandson Theo and we bonded; he’s such a nice fella and interesting funny bloke. When I look at the montage sequences and the credits which are a nod to the 1970s and 1980, I can't believe this is my job, I can’t believe I do this for a living.

Have you had any viewers approach you to talk about the show?

I was in Scotland at a BBC Comedy event and a chap in the bar told me how much he loved Mammoth and asked me to buy him a pint! 

A woman on the tube in London told me how much she enjoyed Mammoth, she thought I was on my way to filming until I explained this is what I wear in real life. 

Because Mammoth’s wardrobe and my wardrobe are probably 95 per cent similar and his look is 100 per cent my look, I get spotted a lot. My moustache is very distinctive, People spot it and see the face and put two and two together. It’s like having a flashing beacon under my nose.

If you could bring any 1970s icons back to life to appear in the series, who would it be?

Burt Reynolds, 100 per cent! I absolutely love Burt Reynolds. We did try to get Tom Jones for this series, but he was on tour. I would love Tom Jones to be in it, and Billie Jean King would be brilliant because of the reference in the first series.

Tony Blackburn provides the voiceover for the title sequence in the new series. How was it working with him?

Tony was brilliant, an absolute pro. We met in this little mews recording studio in London and we’d booked him for an hour and were finished in about 15 minutes. 82 years old and he is so sharp, he did everything in one take. He’s the perfect voice intro for Mammoth.

What are your fashion favourites from the new series?

It’s got to be the double denim! Denim shirt/jacket with zipper and denim jeans. 

Lindsay who does the costume on Mammoth is a genius, I also really love a red and black snakeskin shirt which she found, it was a bit tight for me, but she sewed in some panels to make it look even better and fit me. We work really well together, swapping intel on cool places to buy 70s clothes. 

I provide some of my clothes and Lindsay sources the others. It’s great fun and refreshing for costume to get away from greys and navies and work with florals and paisleys, flares and velvet.

Where would you like to take the character of Mammoth in the future?

I'd love to take him abroad, I think he's a Torremolinos man through-and-through. I want him to experience more stuff and take him to more places. I was thinking his grandson Theo might go off to university, with Mammoth getting involved there and I can see Mel’s character expanding her life a bit more. Mammoth is a situation comedy, so Mammoth getting into situations is where the fun is.

What do you hope audiences will take away from Mammoth?

Number one is that he’s funny and makes people laugh. If there is a lesson in Mammoth, and I try not to make it too preachy, is ‘don't worry so much’, it’s a big part of Mammoth’s character. Don’t worry about people being different to you and not understanding things. It’s OK not to know and to change your mind. 

Mammoth is very black and white about things, he either thinks you’re a berk or you're OK and more than anything else with Mammoth, it's fine not to understand stuff and people doing things that you don’t really get, just don't worry about it. 

I think we could all be a bit more Tony Mammoth.

• Here's a clip from last year's series;