Matt Berry, Toast of London interview: ‘Jon Hamm did Toast, and won his Emmy the week later’

The creator of Channel 4’s cult comedy talks about how the Emmy-winning Mad Men actor joined the cast
Toby Earle|Ben Travis18 November 2015

Matt Berry’s comedy creation Steven Toast, ‘the greatest actor you’ve never heard of’, might still be looking for his big break in Channel 4’s Toast of London, but the show itself is a real hit.

As well as winning the BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance earlier this year, Berry has managed to attract Mad Men actor Jon Hamm – a noted fan of British comedy – to Toast of London’s third series.

“He’s brilliant, you know?” Berry says of Hamm.

“I first met him at Saturday Night Live in New York, and then we met in London a few times. And I met him in Los Angeles the year before he won his Emmy – and then he came and did Toast and won his Emmy the week later.”

Could it be that Hamm’s time with Berry spurred him on to win the award?

“I sent him a picture of me winning the BAFTA and said, ‘no pressure’ underneath it,” Berry deadpans, before cracking: “No I didn’t.”

BAFTA 2015 winners

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Toast of London series three sees the characters, well, exactly where they were when series two ended.

“The thing about Toast is, there’s no arc as such,” Berry explains. “The last episode of the last series is the day before the first one of the next one, that’s kind of how we see it.

“You put more effort in because you want it to be better than the last series, otherwise there’s no point.”

Channel 4, 10.30pm

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