'I phoned Chris Morris and to my surprise he said yes'
Comedy connections 1: Chris Morris has been described as a "comedy genius" or "the most evil man on television"(by tabloid newspapers after he did a Brass Eye show satirising how certain sections of the media treat the subject of paedophilia). The man behind The Day Today, Jam, and Brass Eye, it's a rare thing for Morris to appear in someone else's programme. In The I.T. Crowd, he plays the boss of Reynholm Industries - a boss who is obsessed with the idea of team work.
"The original guy who played the boss pulled out at very short notice saying he found the humour 'too young' for him", says Linehan. "I was really desperate. I phoned Chris and to my huge surprise he agreed to do it, which was very exciting for all of us.
"People tend to view him as this person who has really pushed the envelope in terms of what can be done, but you have to remember he is, first and foremost, a very funny person. It's one thing for people to be going after that 'outlaw' status, but you have to have something to back it up. And Chris does."
'A large part of the success of Little Britain is down to him'
Comedy connections 2: David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Little Britain on Graham Linehan: "When we wanted to bring Little Britain from radio to television, we were told we would have to have someone really proficient to direct the TV pilot. We managed to persuade Graham to do it and he was really helpful in explaining to us how radio ideas could, or could not, transfer to television. A large part of the success of the show is down to him."