Jack Whitehall believes stand-up reputation limited his acting chances in the UK

Jack Whitehall believes his reputation as a stand-up comedian has limited his acting chances in UK, driving him to Hollywood.

The 33-year-old British comedian is currently starring in family film Clifford The Big Red Dog, based on the children's picture book, on the back of his appearance in Disney's Jungle Cruise earlier this year.

Whitehall told Sky News' Backstage podcast: "I just think maybe in America, they haven't seen all the stuff that I've done, so they think I'm an appropriate fit for that kind of stuff, whereas in England everyone has heard some of the jokes that I've told and watched some of my stand-up specials, and they're probably slightly more reticent to put me in family fare.

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"I just seem to have sort of fallen into doing those types of films, and I love doing them to be honest.

"It's so great to be able to make a movie and put it out there into the world and to make something that my friends are able to take their kids to, or my my god children are able to go and see it, because up until this point, there's nothing that I've ever done that they've been able to watch."

Watch: Jack Whitehall on working with a CGI dog for his new movie

The actor and TV presenter, whose father Michael Whitehall is a former talent agent, began his career in comedy, rising to fame on panel show Mock The Week, before starring in E4 sitcom Fresh Meat. as party-loving student JP.

He then wrote and starred in his own sitcom for BBC Bad Education, about a teacher, and went on to star in his own spin-off movie.

In 2014 he made a pilot of a US version of Bad Education called An American Education which was not picked up.

Whitehall then had huge success starring with his father in their own travel documentary series for Netflix, Travels With My Father.

He also appeared in Amazon Prime fantasy show Good Omens.

Whitehall said of leaving stand-up behind: "I'm very thankful that I'm having the opportunity to do these things because, you know, I'm British, so I still am sort of dogged by a slight sense of imposter syndrome and the feeling that at any point someone's going to come and tap me on the shoulder and tell me that I need to get on a plane home and go back to telling inappropriate jokes in pubs to 30 people."

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He added: "And I'm sure at some point I'll probably go and do a gig again or try and write a bit of new material, but I'm very happy at the moment focussing on acting and trying to find the next exciting film project."

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