You've said that the "Austin Powers" films are a tribute to the memory of your late father. Has making three films helped you come to terms with his death?

The genesis of this whole thing was my Dad, who died 11 years ago, so it was appropriate that the third film was more pointedly about Austin's father. And making it has been extremely therapeutic. Shooting this one was kind of like a two month party, we would literally play music between takes, and other movies that were shooting on our lot would play hookey, come over and hang out and stuff. We had a great time.

You share a scene with your screen Dad - played by Michael Caine - that is made up of indecipherable Cockney rhyming slang. Where did you learn that?

My Dad was from Liverpool, and he picked it up in the army. He'd often come out with this stuff. My Canadian friends would come over and say "Wow! You're going to have jockey's whips for dinner?", and hear him talk about crossing the frog, or going up the apples and pears.

Are you concerned about Austin's political incorrectness?

It's so funny. When you're writing these things, you're in a room making each other laugh, you really have very little sense of political correctness or incorrectness. This is a question that Europe tends to ask and America doesn't.

Who are your comedy heroes?

Oh, that's a huge list of people. Peter Sellers is on it, Alec Guinness, Python, there's a show called SCTV in America - they're Canadians. Kids in the Hall are another Canadian troupe. And I love Mel Brooks. My Dad loved his movies, too, they're awesome, the kind of thing that if you're in for ten minutes, you're in for two hours. I could give you such an exhaustive and boring list, but those are some of the tops.