You may know know him as the title character in Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker's cult TV series Nathan Barley, or from any of the other comedy gems he's appeared in, including The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, Man Stroke Woman and No Heroics. Despite being such a familiar face, Nicholas Burns managed to morph into different characters so seamlessly that we often forget to idnetify him with an individual himself- as I'm researching questions for this interview I find a number of people refer to him as 'Nathan Barley' rather than his real name. So we asked him a few questions about his latest role in The Magistrate alongside American comedy heavyweight John Lithgow, and the legacy of the idiots.

Katie Antoniou: Tell us about your role in The Magistrate.

Nicholas Burns: I play Captain Horace Vale, an upper class twit who is in love with a girl who runs rings around him.

KA: Why do you think the British do farce so well?

NB: It’s part of our theatrical heritage, we’ve been doing it for centuries and, in our blood. Farce appeals to our sense of humour, we’ll never tire of watching people fall over or hiding under tables.

KA: Have you ever felt the success of Nathan Barley has held you back at all- because people have the memory of you as that character so firmly in their minds?

NB: No, I don’t think so, I think I’ve played a variety of parts to Nathan. He was a bit of a one off, quite different from me (I hope!)

KA: Did the people involved in the show realise how prescient it would be, even years after it was made?

NB: No not at the time. People said it would become quite dated quite quickly but actually the reverse is true – as time goes on, we’ve realised how prescient it was. It’s just as relevant now as it was then.

KA: Where do you think Nathan Barley would be today? Did he invent Foursquare? Is there a TrashBat app? Has SugaRape gone digital?

NB: I think at this time in his life he would be trying to look at the spiritual side of things. Working out that he’s been to many places but never been to ‘him’. To quote Marti Webb...

KA: Some of your co-stars from your comedy work on TV have moved into the movie industry- is this a direction you'd like to take? Or do you prefer TV and theatre?

NB: I’d like to do all things, I'm interested in everything – as long as the script is good and the people involved are interesting I don’t mind which medium.

KA: You played The Hotness in No Heroics- if you had a super power what would it be?

NB: It would definitely be the ability to fly.

KA: What comedy shows have you enjoyed on TV lately?

The Thick of IT – favourite one recently. And I’ve been enjoying old episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

KA:What do you have planned after The Magistrate?

NB: Boozing. Lots of boozing.

The Magistrate is on at The National Theatre until February 2013.