This is a sequel to Tristram Shandy, which you also wrote and directed. How does this compare to the original production?

It’s difficult for me to compare the two because they’re so different: different tone, different cast (almost completely), different form: the first one was a sketch show-ish piece of literary criticism, this one is a tragicomic (a loathsome word, I know) road trip. It would have been a bit too easy (or as easy as the source material allows) to rehash the first one but with different bits of the book. What I’ve tried to do with this one is to take bits of the books (Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey provides half of the material this time) and set them in an entirely different format – instead of the interview/book tour setup of last time, we now have Tristram attempting to coordinate and star in an actual play, with an actual plot and an actual focus to it, without giving too much away.Because of this I think it certainly has more of a dramatic thrust to it, which hopefully won’t undercut the comedy of the play but will definitely present us with bits of Tristram’s personality that the setup of the first one didn’t really allow for tonally. This is because the first was a big, tacky, whizzpopping extravaganza, whereas this is a small-cast chamber piece; the change in venue from ADC to Pembroke New Cellars reflects this pretty well. Also this one goes off-book. A lot. To all Sterne purists out there, I apologise in advance.

How do you go about writing a play?

With both Tristram Shandy plays that I’ve done, I started out with absolutely no idea what I was doing. So I wrote a few pages of something and then stared at it for weeks and weeks until a good idea presented itself which allowed me to write a few more pages until the next ‘brainwave’. Even when you have a 600-page book in front of you to plunder for scenes and characters, for me at least writing a play is mainly sitting around for ages waiting for a decent idea to pop into my head. I like scenes and plots to make complete sense in quite a pedantic way, so if I have an idea of a fun scene or two (as was particularly the case with this one), I wouldn’t write it down until all of the various, niggling ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ had been answered. Also, I’ve found it obligatory to tell absolutely everyone I encounter that I’m writing a play and then proceed to talk at them about a scene I’m ‘grappling with’ or something insufferable like that. I don’t know why but it’s such an integral part of the ‘process’…

Without giving too much away, what is your favourite moment of the play?

Hmm, my favourite bit is actually the ending, which I can’t really talk about sans spoilers! There is a wonderful scene that, while not in the books, is based on historical fact; Laurence Sterne and Samuel Johnson met once and despised each other. There are a couple of glorious accounts of this and I couldn’t help swapping out Sterne for Tristram and letting the scene play out to its pornographic conclusion (look it up)! The cast also make a shipwreck scene towards the beginning of the play something truly glorious to behold – any fans of Toast of London will see ‘High Winds Acting’ by the bucketload! It’s difficult to single out particular moments, because practically every scene contains Tim Atkin as Tristram along with Mark Bittlestone and Rhiannon Shaw playing almost every other part between them, and all three of them are so, so good, it’s impossible not to love them all!

Can we expect to see a Tristram Shandy 3 on the horizon, or do you have any other projects planned?

Oh, I don’t think my friends or their Facebook timelines would tolerate another one! Tim and I had some rather silly ideas for a potential Tristram Shandy 3, and there are countless stories in the books that I’ve not yet touched, but to be honest this one is pretty final. I’ve tried to tie up some of the loose ends that I thought the first one left and in doing so I think it comes to quite a nice, organic conclusion, so I wouldn’t know how to go about doing a third! Rather dully, my ‘next project’ is exams next term, but after that, who knows? We might see Tristram Shandy: Live at the (somewhere else)! in the near future…

The first Tristram Shandy received rave reviews. What do you think is the secret to a successful production?

In my experience, it comes down to the people involved – a group of dedicated, enthusiastic, like-minded people is all that’s needed on the production side. However, what this group must share is ambition! However, a producer who can be realistic and curb the more preposterous ambitions is always a bonus. So really several things are needed. In terms of making theatre people actually enjoy, I think it’s so important, at every point in the script, to stop and think ‘are we making an audience sit through something?’ If the answer is yes then something needs to change. It’s all very well ‘exploring’ this idea or that, but just because a script explores something, it does not mean the audience will want to. Theatre, as far as I see it, should be many things – exciting, challenging, spectacular, involving, moving, funny – but I think the very least we can ask of a play is that it be entertaining. When the reviews for this come in I’m sure at least part of these highly strung reflections on theatre will come back to bite me on the arse, but I really do think everyone’s in for a smashing time with Tristram 2. I said of the first one that Tristram would give Cambridge ‘an evening of theatre like no other’: I like to think that he was just getting started.

Tristram Shandy 2 will be on at 7pm, Tue 1st March 2016 - Sat 5th March 2016, at Pembroke New Cellars