When party girl Alice has a 30th birthday fling with her boyfriend Mitch and gay best mate Richie, it seems like a bit of fun until she discovers she’s pregnant. Not just that, but the baby’s dad isn’t her partner, who’s infertile, but promiscuous Richie, which means the trio have a lot to think about in Comedy Central's sitcom Threesome. Amy Huberman, who plays Alice, and Emun Elliott (Richie) set the scene…

Tell us about Alice.
Amy Huberman: Richie and Alice have been best mates for years and Alice probably had a thing for him before she realised he was gay and therefore off limits. Alice met her boyfriend Mitch through Richie and they’ve been together very happily for four years. All three share a flat and they have this fantastic domestic bliss which suits them. It’s quite unconventional but it really works.

What about Richie?
Emun Elliott: They met at university and it was one of those instant friendships, they fell really hard for each other in a platonic way. Richie ended up working for a company organizing events and met Mitch when he was serving drinks at his brother’s funeral. He gives him advice, again an instant bond is established, and he introduces Alice.

How does the sitcom open?
Emun Elliott: We are all on the brink of 30, which is an interesting time in someone’s life. I’m not quite there yet but I can relate to that feeling of letting go of certain things and moving forward.

Do we see the actual threesome?
Emun Elliott: No, I think it’s difficult to make sex funny so you get the pre-threesome and the aftermath. We are asking the audience to believe that these three are so close, so tight, that Mitch would be happy with it and Richie, even though he’s gay, is up for it. They are kind of doing it for Alice on her birthday.

How was it playing a gay character?
Emun Elliott: It’s not a huge part of the research or preparation I’ve put into this, it’s just one facet of his personality. I think if I went on screen and tried to play gay it would just fall apart. There’s so much variety there you have to focus on who he is aside from that. I want to make Richie one of the first gay guys on TV that straight guys would look at and think they wouldn’t mind being friends with. I think he’s really cool. A lot of the time gay characters are put on screen for a gay audience but Richie’s there for everyone.

You filmed Threesome at Twickenham studios, what was that like?
Amy Huberman: It was great. My husband [Ireland rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll] was coming from the airport but the taxi didn’t know the way. They stopped in Twickenham and Brian jumped out to ask directions. Some guy recognized him and shook his hand and when he got back in the cab the driver said, ‘Do you know him?’

Threesome is quite a departure for both of you.
Amy Huberman: Yes, I love comedy, you don’t go home with a serious face because you’ve had a giggle. In a film I did recently, Rewind, I was playing a former alcoholic and nothing about that’s funny.

Emun Elliott: I did Game Of Thrones and I’ve just finished on Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s new film which is pretty much the prequel to Alien, so it’s been diverse. I’m lucky.

What’s next?
Amy Huberman: I have a movie hopefully in November which might be over in the US. I’ve never been to LA and it would film there, which would be brilliant.

Emun Elliott: I’m doing an independent film, Not Another Happy Ending, in Scotland starring Karen Gillan, Martin Compston and Brian Cox.