Mathew Horne looks ahead to life after Gavin & Stacey

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Currently starring in Jamie Lloyd’s West End production of The Tempest, Horne has his sights set on doing "a play a year" going forward.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com he said: "I want to do as much theatre as possible. I love it and the opportunities are definitely there.

"I’d love to do a play a year and continue learning and growing. It’s good to keep it mixed up and do a bit of variety."

Appearing on stage alongside the queen of sci-fi herself, Sigourney Weaver, Horne is playing Trinculo the court jester.

Mathew Horne in rehearsals for The Tempest. Marc-Brenner

When describing what excited him about part, Horne said he was particularly keen on the slapstick elements of it, having looked up to the likes of Laurel and Hardy as a child.

"I’ve had an interest in slapstick since I was a young boy and moving into my teenage years doing stand-up” he said. “It’s always something I’ve enjoyed and embraced and television doesn’t always lend itself to that.

"It’s so great to be invited into the theatre to explore all that physical stuff that I began my career with." Horne then paused before adding "hopefully it will be funny".

With this star-studded Shakespeare adaptation and, of course, the Gavin & Stacey finale, we asked Horne what it felt like to have such big projects clash, and at Christmas no less.

He said: "There is a bit of pressure but I don’t feel like all eyes are on me, I’m just one part of two teams making things people want to see."

He continued: "It’s so great to be a part of things people are genuinely excited about and I’m so blessed to be there with this magic emerging."

So, while Ruth Jones has unequivocally confirmed "we will definitely not be coming back," we’re sure we’ll see many things from Horne in the years to come.

Buy The Tempest tickets at London Theatre Direct.