Actor Matt LeBlanc has admitted that his Friends spin-off Joey was destined to fail.

The series was slammed by critics and proved an audience turn-off after launching when LeBlanc was at the peak of his fame.

The actor, who sends himself up in BBC Two comedy Episodes, told Radio Times magazine: “It was doomed from the start.

Friends and Episodes actor Matt LeBlanc who played Joey
(Chris Pizzello/AP/PA)

“The writing and the jokes were OK but the conflict and the obstacles in the stories were not valid enough.

“In Friends, Joey was always glass is half full. In Joey he was glass half empty. And that was sad. It was the same showrunner as Friends, and I think we should have taken a year off.”

Friends and Episodes actor Matt LeBlanc who played Joey
(Nina Prommer/AP/PA)

He added: “In Friends I was sharing a 22-minute episode with six other characters. In Joey the script was all me. It was a lot of responsibility. The pressure was so much, I remember feeling like an elephant had sat on my head.”

Matt said that he did not always approve of the jokes made about him in Episodes, in which he co-stars with Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan.

Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig and Matt Leblanc
Episodes cast Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig and Matt LeBlanc (Jonathan Short/Invision/PA)

“There was one which was just too gross. I don’t mind being the butt of a joke if it’s a good, smart joke. But if it’s cheap at my expense, I’m not interested.”