We talk to Uncle writers Oliver Refson and Lilah Vandenburgh about the final series of the sitcom. Yes, final. They explain more below...

Oliver, how did the idea for the show first come about?

I'd been living abroad in New York while my sisters had multiple kids. When I moved back to the UK, I started spending a lot more time with them and realised I didn't know them very well, but they were all very funny with a lot of quirks. Errol is a bit of a composite of all of them. I'd like to think I've turned out to be a pretty responsible uncle, but Andy is what would happen if I had slightly less impulse control.

Lilah... how long have you known Oliver, and how did you come to be involved?

Oli and I have known each other for years and been collaborating off and on for over a decade. I've been the co-writer on Uncle since the Channel 4 pilot, but I'm not credited on every episode in Series 1.

We don't reckon most people know Uncle's written by two writers, or that one's a woman. In fact, a lot of fans think Nick [star Nick Helm] writes it. He's always really cool about crediting us, but he's such a charismatic star and his delivery's so funny, and he writes the songs of course, that it's natural to assume it's his vehicle. That's actually great, it means that the writing is invisible and feels authored and all of a piece hopefully, and people aren't thinking about how the sausage is made, which is as it should be.

Nick Helm seems perfect for the main role... Did you have him in mind when creating the show?

It's hard to believe now the role wasn't written for Nick when we started, because he inhabits it so well. That was a brilliant casting idea on the part of our Executive Producer, Henry Normal. We were familiar with Nick from his stand-up, and lucky for us, he responded to the material.

The character of Andy was originally an actor in the pilot script, but once Nick came on board, knowing he was a musician and singer-songwriter, it all came together. With Andy as a down-and-out struggling musician, the idea of incorporating songs and videos became a no-brainer. Then while shooting the pilot, we discovered Elliot plays the piano, and decided to incorporate that into the show too.

Looking back now, we can't imagine how different the story would have turned out if both our leads hadn't been musicians. It's basically the whole plot, and we didn't plan it!

As you touched upon above, you started out by making a pilot for Channel 4 (pictured). They passed on the opportunity to make a series. Was that a sad day?

We didn't know the BBC were interested in Uncle when Channel 4 passed, so we thought the show was dead in the water after the pilot. In a weird way, it was a relief, because we didn't really have an idea of where the series would go after that--it was conceived a bit as a short film, with a complete ending. So the time off gave us a chance to start brainstorming. Luckily, Shane Allen, who had commissioned it at Channel 4, really believed in the project and championed its recommission at the BBC. The rest is history.

Re-shooting much of the pilot to become the first episode of the BBC series must have been an interesting experience. What did you learn in the process?

It was a bit surreal on set, but a very useful exercise to have the actors see themselves in the original pilot before diving in and doing the first episode. It was a great rehearsal. And we think it helped them distil their characters a bit.

The extra time on the BBC (a flat half hour, as opposed one with commercial breaks) is useful for us; we can tuck into the drama and tackle some harder subjects in a less rushed way.

Channel 4 are probably kicking themselves now. Did you always know the show had the potential to become as loved as it is?

All respect to Channel 4, because while they may not have felt it was the right fit for their channel, they released the material back to us which is what made doing it on BBC Three even possible. And we'll forever be grateful for them commissioning that original Four Funnies strand that brought us Uncle.

We've been so busy making the show the last four years, we still don't really have a sense of how popular Uncle actually is, apart from knowing Elliot has a big fan base in China. We really appreciate people who tell us how much they love it on social media.

We don't know how many hardcore fans are out there, but we do try to write with the 'fannish' viewer in mind. Someone who would take a microscope to the script or freeze frame for a detail. And we definitely try to reward repeat viewers by planting call-backs and little continuity Easter eggs in there for anyone who wants to pore over it in detail. Or, you can just watch it as a normal sitcom. That works too!

So what is your writing process? Do you sit down at a typewriter together...

We're millennials. What's a typewriter?

Kidding. We might kill each other if we actually had to type it out together, which is why we write separately and email each other drafts.

We typically take turns, swapping drafts back and forth, punching up each other's jokes and monologues. Then, at the end, we read through out loud and make edits together. We have a real patter down for the characters by now. If you're curious, Oli always plays Andy and Lilah plays Errol.

Music plays a key part in the show... do either of you have musical backgrounds?

Lilah: My mum's a professional musician and I come from a musical theatre/voice background and also play guitar, so I end up writing most of the music related dialogue for the show. I was also a pop promo director before, so I directed the music videos for Uncle. Nick and I, through no planning, have accidentally now made 19 pop promos together.

Oliver: I misspent much of my youth watching MTV.

Lilah: In all seriousness, Oli finds most of the licensed music for the show. He's got a great ear for movie soundtracks and knows exactly what an Uncle soundtrack should feel like.

It's been fun watching Elliot Speller-Gillott, who plays Errol, grow up on screen. He's an ace actor... it's probably lucky you picked well back in 2012!

Yeah, we feel really blessed to have Elliot. He's a gifted actor and his comedy timing is impeccable. And, even better, his chemistry with Nick is real and that's not something we can manufacture. And he was a decent musician when we first met him but he's gone on to teach himself loads of instruments and is now composing and mixing, and has his own band, Slot Luck, who even make a cameo appearance in the show.

Series 3 is now here. Can you give us any clues as to what we can expect from the new episodes?

Hmmm. We don't want to give too much away, but we delve more into Andy's love life and actually get to see him have a bit of success. And Errol's a proper teenager now, so expect some awkward hormonal stuff.

Hopefully everyone you love is coming back and we answer some lingering questions.

There's also an animated video! And Nick and Elliot look really good in medieval fantasy clothes; that's all we'll say.

We've heard you say that this is going to be the last series of the show? WHAT?!?! WHY?!?!

You stay classy, San Diego!

In all seriousness, from the beginning of Uncle, we've wanted to tell the story of a man-child's coming of age. We had an end point in mind but you never know how these things will go.

We're really excited with how Andy's evolved as a character, and Nick Helm's continually nuanced, funny, moving performance is a huge part of that. He's a pleasure to write for, and brings a deep pathos to Andy that makes you root for him to get his life together, even at his worst. And the fact Elliot Speller-Gillott has matured so quickly encouraged us to think on our feet and keep the buddy dynamic lively between Errol and Andy as they've both grown up.

But we were really keen to move this story along, not get mired in repetition, and keep the characters growing and changing. One of the exciting aspects of planning an ending is getting to let the story wrap up naturally, rather than hitting the reset button each series. This kept it fresh and exciting for us as writers, and hopefully for the audience too.

Three series felt like the right amount to get this story told properly. And, as writers, we felt leaving on an elegant note, was the right way to go out. By the series finale, Andy and the gang have been on quite the journey, and we hope audiences will be pleased with how the story ends.

Ultimately, it felt like the right time.

Have you got a big ending planned then?

This series was pretty emotional for us to write and for the cast and crew as well, especially knowing the end was coming. Really the last two episodes (6&7) kind of work as a double whammy ending, even though they're not technically a two-parter. We feel both have a pretty epic scope in different ways, but you'll have to wait and see how!

Outnumbered has returned for a special. Do you think you could be tempted to come back in the future too, for an Uncle special?

We've really enjoyed our experience on Uncle, but we're definitely done with this story for now. It comes to a natural resting point and hopefully we've tied it up with an elegant bow... but never say never.

So what's next for you? How about a sitcom called Auntie?

What's next for us? Sleep.

After that, we're collaborating on some hour long drama pilots together.

Oliver: I've also got several features in development, one especially I'm hoping to make that's an ensemble comedy drama. Most of my stuff is downbeat and usually semi-auto-biographical.

Lilah: I'm writing a film for an American company, and have several pilots in development in the US. Most of my up coming projects are genre, either fantasy, sci-fi or comedy that's geeky in some way.

Oliver: I'm still nursing a secret dream of writing for my neighbourhood paper, The Camden Journal.