KATHERINE MacALISTER talks to Miranda star James Holmes about playing Alan Bennett in one of the celebrated playwright’s own works.

If you’ve been watching Miranda, the BBC comedy that has become cult viewing, then you’ll know exactly who James Holmes, below, is, AKA Clive who owns the restaurant next door.

If not, you’ve been missing a treat, because having notched up every award going, Miranda is about to be transferred from BBC2 to prime time BBC1.

But between series James is keeping himself busy on stage, currently in The Lady In The Van, an Alan Bennett play coming to the Playhouse on Monday, in which he plays Alan himself.

“No pressure there then,” he chuckles, admitting that the most daunting moment so far wasn’t the auditions, or the first night, but being approved for the part by Alan himself.

“I had to audition for Alan as Alan, and he’s a lot taller than me,” James says, “although there wasn’t much I could do about that.”

The seemingly improbable The Lady In The Van plot, about a bag lady who makes her home in Alan Bennett’s drive, is actually a true story, and notching up rave reviews all over the country. “The question is why did he allow this obnoxious old woman into his front garden for 15 years?” James asks, “when she was an ungrateful, smelly old bag. I mean her van was basically parked on his steps and was a complete eyesore. But I think Alan was paying lip-service to being liberal as well as seeing it as a golden opportunity for his own writing, because most of his work is based on his own experiences. So while he was being compassionate, he’s also an opportunist. And the play doesn’t shrink away from the puerile. Ms Shepherd was totally incontinent by the end and stank to high heaven, so he’s also very honest. But compared to my one-man show about a trainspotter, this is still quite nice.”

Which is saying something because James is already 72 performances in, so keeping it fresh is his main concern. “I’ve done three plays on the trot this year, which is pretty good but this is my longest theatre run to date and it does feel never ending.”

So does James attribute his newfound stage success to that of Miranda’s? “I don’t know how directly linked they are, but it certainly gives me something to talk about,” he smiles. “And we’ve already got the next series scheduled in for BBC1, which is really exciting, considering its success has definitely been down to word-of-mouth.”

As for James, he says thanks to Clive, he’s definitely become better known. “I get recognised in the pound shop now,” he laughs. “But it’s not a big surprise because while I don’t provoke the same hysteria as the other Miranda characters, Clive is still very mysterious. No one knows very much about him. One minute he’s a sex worker and the next a Tango expert, so I try to keep open-minded and carry on blind which all makes for an interesting experience. Because Clive could be living with his mother or have a wife and kids.

“Nobody knows, so you just have to go with it.”

* James Holmes appears in The Lady in the Van at Oxford Playhouse from Monday. Box office on 01865 305305 or oxfordplayhouse.com