How do you feel your writing has developed since Red Dwarf days?

Well, obviously, I think it's better. If you don't think you're getting better, you should probably be thinking about a new line of work.

I laughed more during Fat than I did during Incompetence; do you feel that you are more at home with the subject matter, making it easy to inject humour into?

Maybe, or maybe I just got better (see above). I think FAT has a broader emotional range than INCOMPETENCE, which is mostly a rage against frustration, which probably makes the funny bits seems funnier.

Speaking of humour, is it a conscious effort to inject humour, do you agonise over it, or does it just emerge naturally through your writing?

It comes naturally, more or less. It's my style. It's the way I see the world. Frankly, I doubt I could write a non-comedy novel if I tried. That's not to say I find it impossible to write about serious subjects, or make serious points about important subjects. Though it may be impossible to be taken seriously.

You have mentioned in other interviews that your 12-year-old daughter and her friends made you more aware of the proliferation of eating disorders. What research did you do in order to correctly capture the voice of Hayleigh?

Actually, I identify with Hayleigh quite strongly. I remember going through that age, and feeling isolated and underestimated. It's a horrible age. Schooldays are the best days of your life? I think not, girlfriend. I did chat quite a lot with my daughter, Lily, to get a handle on the argot and some of the details, such as the pecking order of boy posters on the wall, which I found quite alarming.

The subject matter of Fat is controversial, was there a particular incident in your life that spawned the book?

An NHS Hospital over here announced they were going to start refusing treatment to obese people. You might say that got me a little fired up. Cheeky bastards.

Which character do you most identify with, and why?

Actually, I identify with all three of the lead characters. They're sort of all aspects of me at various times in my life. I've already talked about Hayleigh. I was a bit of a philanderer like Jeremy. And I am now overweight and angry, like Gren. Speaking of which …

Do you like to write about things that make you angry?

Yes, because, unfortunately, it's a very large brief. Stupidity, thoughtlessness and incompetence make me angry. Lorries on motorways that take up the middle lane for twenty minutes to overtake another lorry which is travelling at almost exactly the same speed make me angry. People who are famous and yet have no discernible skill or talent make me angry. If I wrote about things that didn't make me angry, my ideas pool would be dry in minutes.

Did the character of Jemma offer you a chance to vent your own feelings on various matters? Was it cathartic?

Yes, and yes. I did a ton of research for the book, and the more I did, the more I realised almost everything I thought I knew about the relationship between diet and health was utterly wrong, and I needed a character who could express that without being a world class bore. Jemma was meant to do just that, but she took on a life of her own. I never have any luck controlling the women in my life, even the ones I invent.

Has the information you uncovered during your research for Fat changed your lifestyle or outlook on weight loss and the weight loss industry?

Absolutely. The bottom line is: diets don't work. Worse, they're actually dangerous. Seriously. 91% of successful diets, where the subject actually achieves their desired weight, fail within a year, leaving the subject back at their original, pre-diet weight, or worse. Over five years, the figure goes up to 96%. Now, if doctors recommended a course of treatment that had a 91% failure rate, and tended to leave the patient worse off at the end of it, they'd be struck off the medical register. Yet they're happy to prescribe diets to patients they consider overweight. Quite aggressively. It's insane. And you'd better not be standing between me and the TV screen when there's an advert on for some overpriced yogurt drink or margarine that claims it's clinically proven to reduce cholesterol. Unless you're wearing a Kevlar vest. If you're worried about your weight, exercise more. Even if you don't lose a whole lot of body mass, you'll get fitter and enjoy life more. That's where I'm at with it now.

How long did it take you to research Grenville's How to Boil an Egg chapter?

Ha! A while, actually. About a decade ago, I took a year out to study cookery, which I'd developed a passion for. I went to residential courses all over the place, attended lectures by famous chefs, and practised at home, in a serious, experimental way. A lot of trial and error went into discovering the perfect method for boiling an egg, and I wanted to share it with the world.

Why did you choose to write Fat about the present when your other novels are set in the future, and was this easier or harder?

I never actually say FAT is set in the present day, but I'm not saying it isn't, either. It's a swings and roundabouts thing: when you're writing in an imaginary future, you get to make the rules, which is fun, but it's quite burdensome having to create an entire universe every time you write a novel. I had a lot of fun with contemporary references in FAT, largely because I've never had that resource before in my career.

Was it difficult to keep abreast of the differing narrative styles in Fat?

No. It was fun. I enjoyed the variety, and getting into different heads every day.

Which authors do you like to read?

Blimey. I read just about everything. I'm about to start working my way through Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is I, Claudius, by Robert Graves. Favourite SF authors: Larry Niven, Harry Harrison, Arthur C. Clarke.

What is next, and will there be a Colony 2?

Well, I've written Incompetence and Fat: my wife says to make it the perfect trilogy for me, I should write Drunk. I'm seriously considering it. I'd love to write a Colony sequel – there's a lot of life in those characters. I have a couple of TV projects which might come off in the very near future.

And questions M2 asks everyone it interviews:

What was the worst piece of advice you have ever been given?

When I was starting out in writing, a friend of a friend kindly organised an introduction to a working script writer they knew, and I wrote asking for whatever advice he could offer to a beginner. He wrote back advising me to give it up and work in less 'shit-strewn' pastures. It was depressing and demoralising. And wrong.

And the best?

Never give anyone else your cheque book and a pen,

What has life taught you about women?

Actually, I'll quote from Jeremy in the book on this one: the Boyfriend Mention. You're getting along with a girl, and you feel there's a bit of a spark between you, when she suddenly mentions her boyfriend. Don't be put off: this is her trying to remind herself that she shouldn't be feeling this way. Victory is almost yours.