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Sarah-Jessica Parker affectionately calls him "One of the girls": to the viewers of Sex And The City, though, Chris Noth (pronounced to rhyme with 'Both', an anxious publicist warns us) is the mysterious, nameless 'Mr Big'. Cool, sauve, classy and not exactly bad-looking, he's the recurring blot on Carrie's relationship book. And yes, this week he's snuggling up to her once again. We managed to tease him out of the extra-marital bed for an exclusive chat.

We hear you really hate it when people ask you why you're called 'Big'…

Well 'hate' is putting it a little strongly, but it's like, 'Don't you get it? He's supposed to be an enigma. What good would it do you to know his real name?' And no, 'Big' is not a physical reference. To anything. [laughs]

Was this offered to you as a full-time role?

Well I did the pilot, and I had an idea from the process that he was going to be around for a while - there was this hinting at a flirtation and possible relationship with Sarah Jessica, and basically she is the show, so I figured I'd be there for some time. I'll tell you what, though: I don't think any of us really knew what we were in for when we did that first season - that it would explode the way it did. It really has become a pop phenomenon almost.

Pretty much all of your scenes are with Sarah-Jessica. How do you two get on?

Sarah-Jessica's a lot funnier than people might realise. Very fast, and… well, she laughs at my jokes, and I have to respect anyone who does that. She's so smart as well. And has such an open intellect and curiosity about things - and so much fun to be around. It makes the job so easy.

Carrie and Big's relationship's a tricky one - it's good and bad in equal parts, it seems.

It's mostly good, I think. Not perfect, but then again, what relationship is? One of the things I've observed, or have put into this guy is the notion that he's emotionally rational. He's not going to indulge in those places where younger people do, letting their feelings get the better of them. He's a little too old for that, he's not going to allow himself to go through that any more, which I think is what drives Carrie crazy. He knows what's good for him and what's bad for him, what makes sense and what doesn't - and that's pretty much the opposite of Carrie.

The other big love affair seems to be between the show itself and New York City.

Sex And The City shows New York at it's fashionable best. And it's really a lot of fun to go into the city into these places and emphasise the new restaurants and clubs which maybe a year later won't exist. New York has been totally renovated over the years - the seedy underside is disappearing. But it does make New York look good.

Did the show's producers ever contemplate referencing 9/11 in the show?

I know they took the Twin Towers out of the background of one of the episodes. And in the very last episode of the fourth season when I leave for San Francisco, you've got Carrie walking down the street saying how things are starting to change… And a leaf falls, and you have Summer turning into Autumn… Now that was filmed before the attack, but in a weird way it was almost an emotional echo of what was about to happen, the deep changes you go through in life. But that attack is part of the fabric of our lives in New York now - we'll always wear it.

You turned down the opportunity to play Madonna's husband onstage in Up For Grabs…

I did, yeah. There was interest for me to play her husband, but the part didn't interest me. I mean, I would have loved to work with Madonna, don't get me wrong, but the part just didn't appeal. The play read alright, but it just didn't pop out at me. I want to come to London so badly, though - I've just been talking to an agent about doing a play here - but if it happens, it has to be something that juices me.

When a man can say No to Madge, he must be doing OK career-wise…

Well it really is about the quality of the stuff you get offered. And you know, Sex And The City has been great for my career, but I've done a few dogs in my day, believe me. I was in Law And Order for five years, and in the States it's still repeating three times a day, five days a week.

Nice little earner in repeat-fees, surely?

[laughs] I wish. We don't actually get any money for that. It really sucks. You get massive exposure, get totally typecast, but get paid about enough to have a beer. It really is nothing. But people think we're millionaires.

Of course we do. That's how we like our celebs.

I noticed that over here. Celebrity is almost an industry in its own right these days, and it's one that makes a lot of money. Magazines, news shows, all of them - they're just totally fascinated with celebrity.

We plead guilty. But surely it's cool for you, getting free stuff and all that?

Oh noooo… [cringes] I'm too embarrassed to do that big "I am" thing when it comes to getting stuff. It's fine if a publicist does it for you, but it's kind of humiliating to try it yourself.

It's been reported that the next series of Sex And The City is going to be the last. How would you like to see Big bow out of the show?

Good question. And there are so many possibilities. I mean, I started out as a remote enigma, but they've been able to fill in so many details since then. I actually suggested to the writers that I get into fine wines for the next season. But, like, really into fine wines, to the extent that I end up with a problem, so Carrie has to come out and rescue me, finds me opening the third bottle of the evening, slurring 'Whaddaya mean, wine's good for the heart!'