Fiona Allen: Why I want to dump my husband

Fiona Allen, 36, is best known for her many roles on award-winning sketch show Smack the Pony. She stars in the BBC2 sitcom Happiness and has just made her first feature film, Gladiatress, with Pony cohorts, Sally Phillips and Doon Mackichan. She is married to Michael Parkinson (son of the famous talk-show host).

Hello Fiona. How's the filming going?

We finished filming just before Christmas. I've still got a half-shaved head from it. It's set in 55BC and I play someone called Smirgut the Fierce – she's supposed to be a pretty scary character who kills people. Brilliant fun I must say. I've spent years putting lip gloss on and it's just really good to try something different. I had to wear armour, with lots of tassely bits and a sword.

You're happily married, have a child, star in two popular TV shows and have just completed your first feature film. Are you managing not to be smug about all this?

Well, I'm not smug as a person generally. I usually can't be arsed. I'm having another baby in a few weeks. I'm a baby bore. I love them. I've done three jobs now pregnant – same as any working mum, bills to pay and all that. Right now, I'm wobbling round town doing voiceovers for Ready Brek.

Your marriage is on the rocks in the second series of Happiness. Do you find yourself harbouring secret ambitions for your character?

Yeah, I'd like to dump the husband. He's such an anal wanker. The thought of being married to anyone like him would just kill me. He's so awful. It's really easy to play because I'm just irritated by him all the time.

Is there a lot of messing around on the set of Happiness or does Paul Whitehouse run a tight ship?

There can be. But Paul is very professional. He does have a laugh but he makes sure everything's done properly. I'm quite giggly. I can't help it. I did it on Smack the Pony too. And on the film. I was putting my head down a lot, trying to hide in my armour.

You've said your partying days are over now that you're a mother. Is it all pub lunches round Parky's these days then?

He's got a pub – one of his son's runs it. I do go occasionally but to be honest, it's not really my scene. And I do still go out quite a bit, just a little less than before.

Did it get harder thinking up fresh gags for Smack the Pony as it got more and more successful?

It did get harder. It's more we had to battle against a producer who didn't have the same sense of humour as us.

The three of you – Sally Phillips, Doon Mackichan and yourself – obviously gel as a group. Are you old friends or was it just good casting?

Sally and Doon knew each other before the series started. We gel because we've all got different strengths. You can't have people who are the same, it just wouldn't work.

Do you ever seriously disagree about what's funny and what's not?

God yeah, we're like three catty sisters at times, arguing about which jokes work and which don't. That's nearly a sketch: three people sat round a table, all looking very serious, saying "It's just not funny ..."

You're reportedly all hanging up your ponies now. Have you run out of jokes or are you just getting out while the going's good?

We've all talked about it and it really is time to move on. There are some great people out there to work with and creatively you want to move on in any job. I don't think the series would run dry – it's endless. You can keep doing stuff, but for us as performers, we felt like we'd done the jokes we wanted to do in that format.

How are you going to top 2002?

Having another baby; the first movie I've ever done will be out in September, and I've got a handful of film and TV projects that I'm working on. Lots of stuff: it's exciting.

The second series of 'Happiness' begins on Tuesday at 10pm on BBC2