WILL the real Rik Mayall please stand up? Because he certainly didn't reveal anything of himself during a phone conversation with The Herald to promote Noël Coward's Present Laughter, in which he plays the leading role.
For 20-odd minutes Mr Mayall was almost indistinguishable from his sexist, foul-mouthed, libidinous and egotistical alter-egos, Alan B'stard and Lord Flasheart from Blackadder.
Trying to salvage something from his expletive-strewn, deliberately surreal and shocking comments was something of a struggle.
He could not talk sensibly on any topic for more than about five seconds at a time.
Is he unable to relax during interviews? Is he, underneath the brash exterior, shy and thus uses an alter-ego to prevent the real Rik Mayall emerging? Or is Alan B'stard simply an extension of Rik Mayall? Who knows.
Anyway, Rik was at least lucid on the subject of his play Present Laughter and his character Gary Essendine.
"The play was written in 1937 by Noël Coward and there are several jokes in it and the role is very me.
"If you can imagine someone who's been famous for about 20 years and is now overweight and is a serial shagger.
"He's rampant. A multi-sexual. A very nice thing is that I get to drink, smoke and snog on stage.
"I took my wife along on our wedding anniversary and she saw me snog the very attractive blonde and vulpine redhead I'm on stage with."
I bet his wife appreciated that.
Despite echoes of his sleazy Tory MP B'stard that came thick and fast down the phoneline, Rik's stance on the likely war with Iraq would certainly be at variance with his political alter-ego.
"It's going to be another Vietnam. It offends my morality. Tony's a Christian and in the Bible it says thou shalt not kill. I don't think he's read that bit."
"B'stard would be all for an all-out nuclear confrontation. Why are so many in the acting fraternity so predictably anti-war and pro anything left-wing?
"Of course we're anti-war because the more people that are bombed, the fewer people can come to the theatre.
"I think Tony Blair's quite insane in the way he's so convinced about himself. He's a complete spaz."
Rik is still perhaps most closely associated with The Young Ones and more recently Bottom.
He met his co-star of these anarchic student favourites while studying drama at Manchester University. He confesses he has no idea what he would have done for an alternative career.
Does he see himself as a comedian or actor? Or does he see no distinction?
"Genius. No, I'm always asked this and I've been racking my brains to try to think of a witty reply. I'm both. Sometimes you can move people to cry or laugh.
"I've been rocking along for 25 years and I've learned quite a lot."
After Present Laughter, Rick said he is going to work on a new Comic Strip production entitled Churchill: The Hollywood Years "an abortion" of a spoof film designed for the American market in which Churchill is played unconvincingly by an American and Rik plays Adolf Hitler.
Are there any roles he would still fancy. God, perhaps?
Referring to his well-publicised accident a few years ago in which he fell off a quad-bike he replies: "I was in a coma for five days. I had the accident the day before Good Friday and came out of the coma five days later, so I beat God five-four."
God it is then.
• Present Laughter can be seen at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, from Monday until Saturday, March 15.