But it's no fantasy. These three actually graced the tables of a Brighton restaurant earlier this month, Phill tells me as he explains why he's late for our interview.

'I'm really sorry. I didn't get in until 4.30am from a gig in Brighton last night,' admits the 46-year-old Never Mind The Buzzcocks star.

'I went for a meal with some mates, Dave and Marcus. I dropped Marcus in London on the way home to Leigh-On-Sea, but then I had a bad run heading east. I got caught in the snow.'

The gig he's talking about is his new touring show Totally Looped. It features old film clips, projected on to a big screen as the comedians dub improvised dialogue over the top.

What makes it more interesting is the fact it is the audience who suggests the themes.

A selection of comedians are signed-up to the show and at other venues you can see stars such as Sanjeev Bhaskar – co-writer and star of award-wining sketch shows Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars At No 42.

When Totally Looped comes to the Kings Theatre in Southsea on Thursday it will feature Phill alongside his friend Marcus Brigstocke, pictured – the celebrated regular of comedy on Radio 4, team captain on Dave's Argumental and host of BBC 4's Late Edition and Have I Got News For You.

Phill says the show works like the film round in TV's Whose Line Is It Anyway.

'The show started out in LA, where it was created by the people from Second City – one of the oldest standing comedy companies in America, that's brought us the likes of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and John Candy,' explains Phill who was born in Newport on the Isle of Wight and has worked as a civil servant, press officer, music video director, actor and radio presenter on BBC 6.

'A lot of the comedians in Hollywood didn't have a regular gig, so they set up Totally Looped to have a bit of a laugh with each other. One of the original guys in it was Dan Castellaneta who voices Homer Simpson.'

Phill was asked to join the UK tour as a bit of a film buff (his first two stand-up tours – Jedi, Steady, Go and Quadrophobia – were film-related) and a master of improvised comedy.

'I've done lots of improv since I stopped doing stand-up. It's not that I didn't love stand-up, but improv is more social. I prefer to work with other people because it's good to have a shared objective,' says Phil who was discovered by Billy Bragg when he was touring as Porky the Poet.

'We had a few days practicing together in London and it took me about an afternoon to get my hand on it. But I don't like to do too much preparation.

'Totally Looped is a fun show because of the element of the unexpected. It's exciting when you don't know where it's going to go. It's a bit like QI or Buzzcocks.'

Phill has been a team captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2's pop music comedy panel quiz) since it began 13 years ago. It's currently presented by Simon Amstell and was a runner-up in the Best TV Show category at the NME Awards this week.

Phill says: 'I always agreed that if I stopped enjoying it, I would stop doing it. That's never happened. But of course I miss Bill.'

Since his longtime opposition panel captain Bill Bailey left the show, there have been a succession of guest captains, some of the best of which Phill names as Frank Skinner, James Corden, Jack Dee and Bob Mortimer.

'I'm always a little worried when I've never heard of them. I don't watch much telly or buy pop records, so that happens a fair bit,' says Phill who's married with two daughters.

'Stephen Fry is worse than me. He was a guest captain and that was really fun because he knows nothing about pop music.'

Phill can't tell us who the new team captain will be. He says he doesn't even know the shortlist. He'll happily dish the dirt on the guests though.

'I admire all the guests that come and sit next to us and go toe to toe with Mr Amstell,' Phill says diplomatically.

'They never edit the show to make people look like idiots, but there are some very telling moments. I'm saying no names, Donny Tourette. He just wouldn't shut up and he went to the toilet quite often.

'About three-quarters of the way through the show he looked round and said "I'm the youngest of four brothers. It's like this at home". I think that explained a lot. He's always had something to prove. I thought it was a very poignant moment,' says Phill, who wouldn't have Donny on his fantasy dinner party list.