Dr George Ryegold, currently on a controversial leave of absence, loves to pore over, often in graphic detail, the ailments and illnesses that his patients present him with. Comedian Toby Williams tells us what it takes to create a character that is by turns hilarious and gut wrenching ahead of a performance at Outside the Box.

Tell us about George Ryegold

He’s a wonderful chap. A man of robust opinions with an admirable ability to speak loudly and with authority on innumerable subjects.

George is currently serving a suspension, isn't he?

It's merely a leave of absence. A trifling matter. Simple misunderstanding. And if it's good enough for shadow chancellor George Osborne's brother then it's good enough for Dr George Ryegold.

Who or what inspired the character?

It's a great way to talk about the bizarre and the grotesque aspects of science and medicine from a position of authority.

Do people sometimes have difficulty accepting George isn't you?

I'm sure people realise it's an exaggeration but, perhaps because of the detail I go into, many believe that I must work in medicine. Several doctors have come up to me after shows and asked where I practice (perhaps with a view to reporting me) and one was convinced I must be a colorectal surgeon. After one show a very tall, medical-looking fellow stalked past me and, without breaking stride, murmured from the corner of his mouth, “You're saying what we're all thinking”, which pleased and concerned me in equal measure.

Why choose to do character comedy rather than 'straight' stand-up?

It wasn’t a choice as such. I started with the stage name just as a shield, and the character came after the first few gigs as it better suited the subjects I wanted to talk about.

Are there more characters on the way or do you see yourself moving into straight stand-up at any point?

I can’t see beyond working on the new Edinburgh show for August at the moment. I spend most of my time sitting in bed watching television and worrying that I’m not writing enough.

Who are some of the other character comedians we should look out for?

My favourites are Brian Gittins, Angelos Epithemiou and Pippa Evans and keep an eye out for Steve Cumberland and Kerry Gilbert.

How did you first get in to performing comedy?

I’d wanted to do it for years but was overwhelmed by terror at the very thought of it. I began to seriously consider giving it a go after regular visits to a friend’s character comedy night in Clapham, but the real impetus was my voice over agent dropping me on account of my non-existent voice over career. I wrote her a letter listing numerous reasons for keeping me on, including a white lie about doing stand-up comedy. Upon receiving the letter she called me up and said: “Tell me about the stand-up comedy”. So the final shove was being caught in a lie.

Best heckle you've received

It wasn’t quite a heckle, but as I was leaving the stage an hilariously disgusted woman loudly intoned: “That…was…abhorrent!”, which I found deeply rewarding.

Whose sex face would you least like to see?

Jeff Stelling's disapproving scowl has often interrupted my enjoyment of Countdown.

George Ryegold @ Ouitside the Box, The Fighting Cocks, Kingston, May 10, £7 (in advance)/£8 (on the door), outsidetheboxcomedy.co.uk/07973 783339