Sam Neill has claimed that he never got asked to reprise his role as Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic World.

The New Zealander, who was the star of the original film, told Graham Norton that he had never ruled out a return.

Speaking on Friday night’s show, he said: “I didn’t rule it out, they just didn’t call me. It’s fine. I’ve been doing other things.

“Someone asked me the other day and I said, ‘I don’t know what’s happened to Alan Grant. He could be dead, he could be in therapy or he might be an accountant in Des Moines – nobody knows what’s happened to him.’”

Talking about his new film Hunt for the Wilderpeople, he said: “It is a little movie that came from nowhere.

“It is heartwarming, a sort of a road movie without roads – we don’t have many in New Zealand. People are nicer to me in New Zealand as a result of this because the last time they saw me was as a psychopath in Peaky Blinders and they avoided me!”

Neill consulted friends Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt to get the Belfast accent right for the TV programme.

“I did consult Liam Neeson and Jimmy Nesbitt because they are obviously to the manor born,” he said.

“ I got a couple of lessons from them which was great but they were brought up just 10 miles from each other and speak with completely different voices so I thought I would just relax and do my own thing.”

Norton is also joined by Ewan McGregor, Danny DeVito , Mranda Hart, John Bishop and Amber Riley on Friday night’s show.

Graham Norton, BBC One, 9pm.

