Now here's a coincidence. Back in 1988 Hattie Hayridge was having a good year.

She decided to give up her job with the civil service and try her hand at stand-up comedy.

Her first review described her as being like "a female Norman Lovett".

Lovett laughs at the memory.

"I saw that review and remember thinking that I must see her show," says Lovett. "When I did, I realised that it really was like watching a female version of myself.

"When we met, Hattie kept saying that she really hadn't seen my show and promised that she hadn't stolen any material or style or anything."

The reviewer must have just been very insightful.

Hayridge would go on to take on a role previously occupied by Lovett in what is thought to be a unique role swap. The character in question was Holly, the computer on board the spaceship Red Dwarf.

The television series of the same name was a huge hit, a sci-fi comedy that went from cult hit to Best BBC Comedy Series at the British Comedy Awards in 1994, also winning an international Emmy through its brilliant scripts and razor-sharp characterisations.

Hayridge proudly says: "Before The Office, it was the BBC's biggest selling DVD and video."

Based around the last human left alive, David Lister, the series followed his exploits in space on board the Red Dwarf spaceship with his companions.

The ship's computer, Holly, was played for the first two series by Lovett.

"There was a brilliant chemistry between all of us," says Lovett. "The writers seemed to have really got a very good grip on our characters, which meant that they could write the show's characters and put a lot of who we were in real life."

At the end of the second series, Lovett moved to Edinburgh and tried to negotiate a contract which meant he could rehearse
less in London.

"The truth is they cut my fee, I was unhappy and so I left the show," says Lovett.

The writers came up with the idea of keeping the same sort of character and, because the character was a computer, there were few limits to how they could cast a replacement. The female Norman Lovett was a perfect choice and, with a script in which Holly performed a sex-change on himself, the transfer was seamless.

Hayridge says: "It was lovely to be on set with all the boys. I'm not a very 'girly girl', so I really enjoyed being on set with eve."