In 2005, he returned to acting, becoming part of another science fiction franchise by playing Colin the Security Robot in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quintessential Phase.
He subsequently shifted to writing, penning five fantasy novels to date, including Limbo, Limbo Two: The Final Chapter and The Last House in the Galaxy. Looking for Mr Piggy-Wig (2008), about a post-nuclear Britain after the 'New Battle of Britain' is described by The Guardian as "best taken as a spoof on the genre". Endgame (2009) was criticised by Publishers Weekly for its "two-dimensional, clichéd characters and the tiresomely predictable story line".
He published the book Growing Up with the Goons in 2010.
In March 2017, he starred in three episodes of the third series of The Missing Hancocks for BBC Radio 4; episodes that were originally aired in 1955 in the second series of Hancock's Half Hour starring his father Harry, after Tony Hancock had disappeared.
