COmedian Alan Carr talks about his new sitcom Changing Ends on ITVX

Changing Ends, a new autobiographical comedy for ITVX starring and co-written by the Bafta Award-winner himself, follows his journey through puberty and adolescence, and finally self-discovery, all against the backdrop of Thatcher’s Britain.

However the six-part sitcom is more than just a trip down memory lane; told with warmth and wit, it is a love letter to his home town, 46-year-old Carr says, at a time when things were not always so inclusive.

The Chatty Man presenter – who teamed up with writer Simon Carlyle for the piece – will lead the ensemble cast as himself in the present day, with rising star Oliver Savell taking on the role of young Alan.

Shaun Dooley and Nancy Sullivan portray his parents Graham, who managed Northampton Town, the Cobblers, at the old County Ground, and Christine, with Taylor Fay playing his younger brother Gary.

Rourke Mooney, Gabby Best, Harry Peacock, David Mumeni and Michael Socha also feature.

Carr needed the right person to portray his younger years.

What he did not expect was to have to go through 450 tapes – “some pretending to be me, some of them just so beautiful and some of them downright offensive,” he recalls, chuckling.

“I know it sounds like a film and I’m not being cheesy, but Ollie was one of the last ones we saw, and he got it just right.

“He was spot on with the intelligence, the timing and everything. We closed the door, jumped for joy, and we said, ‘We got him’.”

“I’d watched a couple of interviews and some of Alan’s shows, and I started trying to speak a bit like (him),” said Savell, 13.As for Dooley and Sullivan, meeting the real Graham and Christine was a highlight. "What was beautiful about both of them is that they both gave us permission to do it. There and then, they both went, ‘Doesn’t matter what you do – go, go, go,’ and that was just a nice feeling,” said Dooley.”

Changing Ends is available to stream on ITVX.