Jack Whitehall - the baby Russell Brand

Comedian Jack Whitehall, 21, did his first sketch show at Marlborough College, Wiltshire, to annoy his drama teacher. 'He was awful. He would cast his son in everything, so we did our own thing.'

This year Jack has presented Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth and appeared as a panellist on 8 out of 10 Cats and the satirical show Mock the Week. After his first solo show Nearly Rebellious in Edinburgh this summer, the Standard said: 'This hip young star is rising so fast he is in danger of getting the bends.'

'I've always been an attention-seeker and stand-up was the perfect way to get attention,' Jack says. He lives with his retired father, midwife mother, younger brother and sister in Putney. 'My parents come to loads of gigs. My mum sometimes drives me to a gig, stays to watch and then drives me back. That's a bit sad, isn't it?'

TV or stand-up?
Stand-up is my first love. I like how it has no decency boundaries, you can say things you could never say in print or on television. Basically, it's rude and opinionated, but TV is good to build my profile.

Is any subject off limits?
I don't believe in limitation, because some people love it when you take the piss out of them. I did a gig for some bankers the other day, all drunk. I'm not keen on the banking system these days but they loved it.

Who has been your worst ever heckler?
I did a Christmas gig in Bournemouth for a gardening company, so I started joking about this big guy, and he ran up on stage and put me in a headlock. Everyone thought it was hilarious, even the bouncers, and I was like: 'No, this really hurts, get him away from me.'

I hear Robbie Williams stole one of your jokes.
Yes, the joke is: 'I'm sure wherever my dad is, he's looking down on us. He's not dead, just very condescending.' The only way I'll get Robbie back is to start singing 'Let me entertain you' in my show.

How does your dad feel about it?
The whole show was about my relationship with my father and my rebellion; how I don't want to end up like him, but also about how much I really love him. He just laughs and thinks: 'That's me he's talking about.'

Do you get tired of being compared to Russell Brand?
Sometimes. But it's only because of the hair and the campness. I would like to have had all those women, though. I want to post an advert saying 'Groupies wanted' and then let my mum pick the best ones.

Jack performs tonight at The FymFyg Bar, E2, then at 99 Club at Storm, Leicester Square, WC2