Unzipped hosts Russell Kane, 33, and Greg James, 27, have teamed up again for new BBC Three chat show Staying In With Greg And Russell. Russell studied English at Middlesex University and graduated with a degree in Media Writing. He tells Shereen Low about his dream woman Nicole Scherzinger, ‘bromance’ and stripping off.

So, how is your new pad looking?

It’s got a load of features and amazing little rooms so there’s a lot of scope to do interesting things with the guests. The rooms can be changed week by week so it doesn’t have to be the same from the week before. It’s quite flashy.

What other features does it have?

The number one feature is its ability to transmogrify, so it can be a utility room one week, where we take Nicole Scherzinger to air her dirty laundry, and the week after we can have a game of rounders with Noel Fielding. It’s got all the standard things – open plan, bedrooms, cellar and attic, even though it’s a flat. The celebrities we get on the show – Nicole, Rizzle Kicks and Tinie Tempah – go through a million interviews and there’s a limit as to what you can do. So the whole point is to create a world where they feel comfortable and have fun, and then we screw them over when we get the chance. Just like a relationship with a girl.

How did you manage to get your dream woman Nicole Scherzinger on the show?

They asked Greg and I who our dream guest was, and we, almost at the same time with drool hanging out, said Nicole Scherzinger.

A chat show is an easier sell than Unzipped. A show in someone’s flat is nothing scary whereas, as great as Unzipped was, and as much as we love doing it, when you pitched it to a celebrity, it felt like we are trying to dig into their past and find out their bad habits - like farting during sex, which is quite a scary prospect for a celebrity. So we thought this series would warm them up a bit and we’d entice the big names in by being not quite so scary, but in reality they’re in for a treat.

Are you surprised by any fans?

I’m always surprised with my fans. I always thought my stand-up is for nerdy outsiders in their 20 and 30s but I see teenage girls in the audience.

How did your ’bromance’ begin?

When the idea for a TV show came through, which was Unzipped, we’d never worked together before but we thought we’d give it a go. We got on really well, but we’re similar in different ways to not make it irritating for the audiences. The opportunity to work together was a no-brainer really. It’s lucky we get on. It doesn’t happen very easily, and can be forced. If you have two males on the telly, it could be quite a battle, but we don’t have such big egos so it works.

Is Unzipped no more, then?

This is kind of the new ’it’. Unzipped was meant to be a live, one-off survey of the nation, like a three-hour special. But it did so well that it was turned into a series, and then we had so much stuff that we did it twice. But we realised people love Greg and I messing around, playing silly games and meeting celebrities. This is like the alternative chat show on BBC Three.

In the promotional shot you’re displaying a lot of flesh. Will you be baring all on the show?

It’s mainly to catch people’s attentions. Everyone’s already seen Greg’s naked body swinging on a wrecking ball on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you to have a look at that. The picture is the ultimate metaphor for the show. It’s to say, we’re at home and we’re so relaxed that we are in our pants with our pug. Nicole Scherzinger, come over for a chat!

Staying In With Greg And Russell is on Wednesdays on BBC Three