Q: You sound fed up of playing such bizarre characters.
No, I’m very lucky to get to play such a wide range of parts and it’s very satisfying. I mean I’ll never get the girl again in a film, those days are gone. But there are jobs; I can be useful around the place. To play the man who designed the earth is pretty funky.

Q: Were you a fan of the Hitchhiker’s before you started work on the film?
I’m very fond of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I read it when I was a young man, and like most people, it goes straight into my list of top five books of all time.

Q: Was the film what you were expecting when you finally saw it?
I hadn’t seen the movie until recently when I watched it at the premiere with everyone else, which was a bit scary because I don’t normally do that. And it was fine; I sat with Stephen Fry, who is also a personal friend of Douglas’ so it was a big night for everybody. At the end, we were beaming because we were so relieved.

Q: What were your thoughts about the rest of the cast?
All the casting was really classy and it reassured the fans it wasn’t going to be overcast, because when you hear Martin Freeman is playing Arthur Dent you just go, ’Yeah, of course he is.’ Sam Rockwell , as I’m sure you know, is one of the most talented actors around. Mos Def of course is the coolest man on the planet, you just want to kill yourself when he walks into the room. He’s always going to be cooler than you.

Q: Were you disappointed when Garth Jennings told you to ditch your elaborate character ideas and just play yourself?
I had plans to be a God-like figure with a big deep voice. The embarrassing thing you get with older actors, which I didn’t think would happen to me, is that you get a part that says ’he’s quite old’ in this case it says, ’he’s incredibly old’ and you think well I’ll have to act really old then. And the director tells you you’re actually already old enough, you don’t have to ham it up. It’s a terrible mistake. I’ve seen it made before in movies, I won’t mention names.

Q: Is it true you asked the costume designers to base your look on your beloved older brother?
Yes, I was very proud of my brunette wig. I had an older brother who was very good looking and he was a brunette and I always wanted to be like him. So it was kind of my idea. I nudged it in that direction. I didn’t want the usual white hair and white beard because there are other familiar images of that. And I got a pair of trousers, which was a relief. I thought I’m in a sci-fi movie they’re bound to put me in a frock. And I wear the coat all the time. Since the premiere, I’ve had women coming up to me and asking, ’where did you get that coat?’ I love the furry hood and the fact it comes in oatmeal.