60 SECONDS: John Simm - by ANDREW WILLIAMS - Tuesday, April 17 2007

Actor John Simm has starred in such controversial dramas as Sex Traffic and State Of Play. He has recently wowed fans of 1970s throwback police shows thanks to his turn as DI Sam Tyler – a man who is in a coma and thinks he's living in 1973, or is he? – in BBC retro cop caper Life On Mars, the second series of which is out on DVD this week.

Why did you finish with Life On Mars after series two?
The show would lose its edge if it carried on for ever like Lost. That would be unfair on the people who love it. It’s got a definite conclusion. It’s a rare thing these days for a show to know it should bow out at the top. I also have children, so working away from home for six months of a year for two years is enough.

Are you also easily bored?
I get restless as an actor after I do two series of anything. I start itching to play something else but that’s normal.

Your character is believed to be in a coma and thinks he’s living in the 1970s. Have you ever had an out-of-body experience?
No.

Did you keep any of your 1970s costumes?
I kept the jacket, which is integral to the part of Sam Tyler. I’ve got that in my wardrobe because I didn’t want anyone else to have it. The clothes were fine. I wore them every day for six months. I got used to them quite quickly.

Does polyester make you sweat more?
I wouldn’t know – you sweat a lot under those lights anyway.

Your co-star Philip Glenister recently said the BBC is not funding drama adequately. Are reality shows ruining TV?
I agree with what he said. He’s absolutely bang on. The public are force-fed reality TV and trash and get addicted to it. There are so many different channels these days, they get filled up with repeats and reality shows. If that’s what the people want, though, that’s what they’re going to get. It’s a vicious circle. I think it is ruining TV, absolutely. People should have a wider palette of accessible shows, something that’s going to make them think.

Do you have a favourite police show yourself?
I used to love Starsky And Hutch, The Professionals and The Sweeney.

If you could live in another time, what time would it be?
The 1960s because of all the fantastic music. I’d be able to see The Beatles, so that’s reason enough.

You’re going to be in Dr Who. Who are you playing?
Like everyone else, I watched it as a kid and used to hide behind the sofa. I first started watching it when Jon Pertwee turned into Tom Baker. The new Dr Who is brilliant and was great fun to do. I’m in it really late on in the series, just for the last few episodes. I play a character called Mr Saxon but they won’t let me say any more than that.

You played Van Gogh in a Channel 4 drama recently. Are you any good at drawing?
I’m all right. I can doodle. Not bad.

How is your band Magic Alex going?
We split up a couple of years ago. We released our album on iTunes in February. It’s great to get the music out but that’s the full stop for me. We’ve had some good reviews. It was a relief to finally release it because we were together for ten years and toured twice with Echo & The Bunnymen and we made the record but never released it because we were the laziest band on earth.

Are you tempted to get back together?
The album hasn’t been out long. It’ll be a slow burner but we’ll see what happens. I might continue doing my own thing in my home studio but I’ve done the whole sex, drugs and rock’n’roll thing and don’t really want to start doing it again aged 36. I’m too far gone in my career as an actor to start touring around in a van.

How much of a luvvie are you on a scale of one to ten?
Zero. I hope I’m not a luvvie anyway. It’s for others to judge. You meet a few of them but not everyone’s like that. It depends who you hang out with.

Have you ever been attacked by a wild animal?
No but I was once headbutted in the nuts by a goat when I was a child. It left a lasting impression on me. It’s made me wary of goats; I don’t think I’ve been near one since. It wasn’t nice.

Can you do your own plumbing? No. I’m rubbish at all that. I work and keep earning money so I can pay someone to do my plumbing.

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