Paul Whitehouse interview

"In any field where there is professional involvement and tragedy, there is also humour," says Whitehouse. "Call it gallows humour or whatever, but there always is. So I don't think we're doing anything that can be construed as laughing at these people."

"There is nothing very funny about mental illness. Yet that's exactly the central theme in comedian Paul Whitehouse's latest show.

The four-part bittersweet comedy - already a radio success - is all about community psychiatric nurse Liz (played by RADA-trained actress Esther Coles) whom we follow doing her daily rounds.

"Nurse is a project close to my heart," explains Paul, 56, who co-wrote and starred in 90s hit The Fast Show.

"We've all got people who have experienced mental illness, and my mum was a community nurse for a while."

Each episode sees Liz visiting the homes of patients - or 'service users' as they're now called - who are all characters played by Paul.

Among them are an Alzheimer's sufferer and her frustrated son, a desperately lonely woman who only has her cats for company and a morbidly obese man with an unhealthy attachment to this mother.

Rather than mocking the vulnerable members of our community, Paul - who sought expert medical advice during filming - insists the show explores and raises awareness of important topics.

"People with mental health issues are more likely to talk about their problems," he says, "so this was a way of addressing them in a way that was heightened.

"But they're universal fears - loss of love and libido, loneliness, fear - these are things coming to us all.

"We're proud of the show and it would be nice if we got people talking more about mental health."

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