Mission – quite hilarious: comic actor Greg McHugh on the return of Gary: Tank Commander

It has been a busy few months for McHugh, 36, whose star turn as the loveable, camp and cheesy pasta-obsessed squaddie Gary McLintoch – a corporal in the fictional 104th Royal Tank Regiment of the British Army – was a highlight of the 2016 Scottish Parliamentary election campaign.

Gary interviewed the main political party leaders for a BBC Scotland election special programme in April. His left-field line of questioning yielded results that would put Jeremy Paxman to shame as he variously probed on new policies, tax, climate change, nuclear weapons and how they would make daytime TV show Homes Under The Hammer less addictive.

When it came to controversial US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Gary implored the sextet of politicians to reveal whether they would "deal with him or dingy him". ("Dingy," replied Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale. "The guy's an a***.)

He got some cracking exclusives: who would have known that Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson was such a fan of dinosaurs? "And Kezia not a fan of Willie ..." quips McHugh, recalling Dugdale's response only days after she revealed being in a relationship with a woman.

"All the leaders got stuck in and were very game." Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie was grilled on fears about polar bears atop icebergs drifting into Dalgety Bay as a result of global warming, while Ukip's David Coburn was chided about his "bossy attitude".

Even the usually unflappable First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted to some pre-interview jitters: "I'm a wee bit like being on a first date with a guy that you know is way out of your league," she said.

Edinburgh-born McHugh was nursing a broken ankle when he did the interviews and Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie laid his "healing hands" on the affected area. Did it work? "No," says McHugh. "I'm still limping."

While Scotland has arguably never been more politically engaged than in recent years, Gary provided the perfect antidote to any potential election fatigue.

"We are used to politicians speaking in a set way all the time," says McHugh. "The interest for me was trying to eke out a different side of them in a way that Gary could and myself as Greg couldn't because I would be far too politically unaware and nervous in front of them.

"There is something about his character with its silliness and gentleness that, no matter what Gary is saying, you can't really take offence, which is useful. We never wanted to do a set-up of trying to make them look horrendous – arguably a couple of them did it on their own."

McHugh is reticent to pick a favourite among the politicians he interviewed. "Everyone had their moments where they surprised me and I don't want to go down the track of who is my favourite because I'll get tied to a political party," he says.

"They were all surprising. I didn't really know much about a couple of them and when I met them was blown away.

"It was interesting how they changed during the interview. They all came in with politics, politics, politics because that was how they were trying to sell themselves. Once they calmed down and their nerves settled, most of the material we used was from the later part of the interviews."

With 30,000 seats to fill for Gary: Tank Commander – Mission Quite Possible at the SSE Hydro, the election programme's success saw a welcome boost in sales – and popularity – for a character that has largely been out of the public eye since the third and final series aired in 2012.

Not that McHugh has been idle. He played socially inept geology scholar Howard McGregor in acclaimed Channel 4 comedy Fresh Meat for four series and earlier this year starred as cuckolded Eddie Scott in BBC family drama The A Word, which has been recommissioned for a second series.

He is looking forward to reprising Gary: Tank Commander for the stage shows and, while tight-lipped on the finer details of the plot, does reveal that the eponymous character has evolved since the original BBC Scotland series.

"We do see a change," he says. "Gary would always claim to have been knowledgeable, intelligent and far more insightful than anyone else when it comes to the geopolitical world stage. But we will see him having to confront who is he and what he wants to be – that is a theme running through this show.

"You see him looking inward, albeit in a Gary kind of way. It is quite a big concept and hopefully that will come across because we have taken him on a journey."

A decade has passed since McHugh first performed as Gary: Tank Commander as a stand-up routine to 50 people at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Not everyone got the character initially. "It was mixed and it did take a while," admits McHugh. "That phase of doing a difficult room in front of 50 people helps you learn what works for a character."

The idea of Gary first took seed during an incident McHugh witnessed on a bus in Edinburgh when a camp-seeming fellow passenger stood up to a gang of delinquents.

"There is a mix of people in him but the main inspiration is that idea of a camp guy who is not afraid of confrontation and a strong character," he says. "I thought that was brilliant because these idiots deserved to be confronted. It is about unlikely heroes. With a character like that you ask yourself – what is the most alpha male scenario you can think of? That was the Army."

Following that Fringe debut, McHugh's satirical take on front-line life was developed into Gary's War, a one-off pilot for More4 that won a Scottish Bafta in 2008. A full BBC Two Scotland series the following year garnered cult status, not least among those in the military. It ran for three years.

McHugh would be the first to admit that, starting out, he never envisioned such longevity for Gary. "It is nice because I have done other things as well," he says. "I don't think I would like him as much if Gary had been with me for the entire 10 years."

When I spoke to McHugh back in 2012, he said that the dream would be to take Gary: Tank Commander to either the stage or big screen. This was long before BBC Scotland stablemate Still Game had enjoyed its £6 million, 21-night run at the SSE Hydro. Does he own a crystal ball?

"It is something that has always been at the back of my mind and the storyline we've gone for is pretty much that film idea from back then," he says. "In terms of long form, you can't just do three episodes of the sitcom – it has to be one central narrative."

As a television series Gary: Tank Commander pushed the envelope. "When we first started out, no-one was saying anything about the Iraq war or Afghanistan," says McHugh.

The series wrapped in 2012, yet eyebrows – and some hackles – were raised the following year with the arrival of BBC network comedy Bluestone 42 about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan which bore more than a passing resemblance to McHugh's comic creation.

Among the well-known faces outraged on his behalf was Still Game star Greg Hemphill, who wrote on Twitter in 2013: "It looks exactly the same as Gary: Tank Commander except three years after it."

McHugh says that, while he himself "didn't wade in" to the debate, it did get his back up. "I was furious at the time," he says. "I was annoyed they made a statement saying they were the first sitcom to deal with the war. That was false. We did it at a time when it was very difficult and got brilliant backing from the MoD and soldiers.

"We made sure the tone of what we were doing was bang-on and that took a lot of work. It had to be sensitive to what was going on, but still make people laugh and in a gentle way address some of what was happening.

"I was frustrated we didn't get the backing for the show to get it to the wider audience when the BBC put it out very late at night and didn't trail it."

He stresses, though, that it is water under the bridge as far as he is concerned. "It's all in the past," he insists. "I have a healthy relationship with the BBC. I don't want to make it sound like I'm ungrateful to BBC Scotland because they backed us massively."

The youngest of three brothers, McHugh grew up in the affluent Morningside area of Edinburgh. His first taste of showbiz came in primary one when he and a classmate were selected to audition for Michael Aspel's game show Child's Play.

Unfortunately, when his big moment came, McHugh clammed up. It is an anecdote that could equally be used to sum up McHugh some three decades on. Gregarious and outgoing on screen, he is more subdued in person and has a tendency to retreat into his shell whenever a hint of life away from work is mentioned.

McHugh lives near Brighton in the seaside town of Hove with his wife Katie, 35, a producer. The couple met through work and married on Skye in 2013, but that's about as much as he's comfortable divulging.

"You give yourself out to the public by the profession and so I don't see why I should give that side as well," says McHugh. "It is really important to me that it is totally private."

He seems to enjoy the slower pace on England's south coast, having previously been based in London. "Where we live is beautiful," he says. "I love Hove. What I do involves long hours playing different people, which is quite an odd existence, so to go to a quiet seaside town is my absolute bliss."

McHugh fell in love with drama in his teens and at 16 won a place on the Class Act scheme at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre, where he worked alongside playwright David Harrower. A part in the 1997 short film The Wee Man followed, working under Oscar-winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff.

He did a business degree before studying at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), and made his debut on the Scottish comedy circuit in 2002.

These days, he gets recognised most as Gary: Tank Commander in Scotland and Howard from Fresh Meat south of the Border. "Although more recently it is Eddie from The A Word," he says. "That is happening quite a lot. It is three different audiences, which is nice."

McHugh is unsure whether there is another character like Gary in him. "I don't think like that now," he says. "When I came out of drama school and was doing a lot of sketch I got caught up in that world. That was driving me all the time whereas now I'm keen to do other people's work."

Do people still get him and Gary muddled? "They often expect me to be like him," says McHugh. Having names with the same initial doesn't help. "It was idiotic why I chose Gary when I'm Greg," he says. "People say 'Gary' all the time, but it is my fault for choosing that name."

To that end, McHugh admits folk are often disappointed to discover that he's not Gary. "I think people want me to be that" – he morphs seamlessly into Gary's distinctive east coast brogue – "'Brilliant, let's go for a drink, let's hang oot, let's dae aw that', but I'm not. It isn't that I don't want to engage with people, but I'm not at that level of engagement. I like my privacy."

Are there any similarities between them? "I think there must be," he muses. "I'm quite impatient and so is Gary so perhaps those things are linked. I find it difficult not to say stuff. Gary finds it impossible not to say stuff. I don't think I'm as camp as Gary but you are never quite aware of how you come across …"

How are his fake tan skills these days? "I just did the face today," he cackles, "but I think I'm going to have to get the whole body done because I'm going to a wedding. If I have a big orange face and white legs I'll get the p*** ripped out me for the whole day. I might need to get that evened up."

Family and friends must surely be used to it by now? "Oh yeah, they are but I don't know if they can accept it fully."

McHugh's motto – "be nice, be normal" – belies his formidable drive and exacting standards. "I'm a worrier and a perfectionist," he says. "I worry too much, but then it is part of my motivation. I'm already thinking to the summer and autumn of next year."

He admits to sometimes wishing he could travel back in time to tell his younger self to chill out and that it would all work out brilliantly. "But maybe I would have then relaxed too much," he ponders.

"You never know if you are pushing too hard or not pushing hard enough. Next year it would be nice to relax, do The A Word and go on a long holiday." The glimmer in his eye says otherwise. "But I won't do that," he confirms.

McHugh reels off an impressive list of future aspirations. "In five years I would love to be doing the Fresh Meat reunion, a fifth season of The A Word and Gary: Tank Commander interviews the president of America," he grins. "I just want to keep on working."

Before all that can take flight, the SSE Hydro beckons this autumn. McHugh has been to the venue and stood on stage to look out at the cavernous arena where he will perform to 10,000 people each night.

"The nerves are part of the motivation," he says. "It is the unknown and the scale of it. But with scale comes excitement. We are doing a big mad f****** show and that is exciting. You can't be too scared of it."

Gary: Tank Commander – Mission Quite Possible is at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow from October 20-22. For tickets, visit thessehydro.com. Thanks to the Kelvingrove Cafe (kelvingrovecafe.com) and Majestic Laundrette (majesticlaundrette.co.uk)