The comedian on his Sundance hit film about a homemade robot, why Ricky Gervais persuaded him to give up his day job, and being a hopeless romantic
The actor, comedian and former gardener David Earl, 48, got his breakthrough by creating standup character Brian Gittins. He’s best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, appearing in the TV series Derek and After Life and the film Cemetery Junction. He co-hosts podcasts Chatabix and My New Football Club with Joe Wilkinson, with whom he also co-created sitcom The Cockfields. Earl co-wrote and stars in Brian and Charles, a film about a lonely inventor who builds a robot best friend, out next week.
Your film Brian and Charles won the audience award at last month’s Sundance festival in London. Was that a proud moment?
We didn’t even know there was an award, so it was lovely. I never win anything and was leaving early because I had a headache, until someone told me I needed to come back.
