Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels writer-director Guy Ritchie has brought his "minder" with him to the interview. The fact that he's accompanied by soccer hard man turned actor Vinnie Jones ensures that he won't be answering any questions he doesn't want to.

Ritchie, 31, needs "protection" as he finds himself in a difficult position. Having been hailed as a bright new British cinema talent thanks to the dazzling London low life drama that was Lock Stock, he now finds himself even more famous as boyfriend of pop star Madonna and father of newly-born baby son Rocco.

He's here to talk about his new movie Snatch, another trawl through the drugs, crime and violence of the capital's underworld which has the added bonus of a genuine Hollywood star, Brad Pitt, in the ensemble cast. But journalists just want to know how Madonna and child are doing and how he is adapting to fatherhood.

Jones's job is to interrupt every time the conversation is steered towards personal questions. This unwillingness to discuss the topic, it later transpires, may have more to do with Ritchie agreeing to give an "exclusive" interview to a national tabloid about becoming a father than a blanket desire to keep as mum as Madonna.

He does loosen up long enough to say Rocco, born on August 11 by emergency caesarean three weeks early, is "in cracking health".

"He's a big fat kid. He just sort of eats. He's fat and well," he says. And how is the mother? "She is not so fat but she's well," he replies.

The subject of Madonna - who's ten years older than Ritchie - crops up several times during the conversation but he's clearly happier talking about his film Snatch.

Both that and Lock Stock are set in the London underworld but he insists Snatch is not a sequel. The style, all fast-cutting and multi-layered plot, is the same - but his second feature is a much more ambitious project.

"I was tempted to do something different but this seemed as though it could be up and running fairly quickly and it didn't look as though there was going to be a plethora of gangsters films so I just got on with it," he explains.

He was writing Snatch before Lock Stock was made but has been overtaken by events with a spate of British gangster movies inspired by his hit movie and the Lock Stock TV series reaching the screen before his second feature. Expectations are high for his new film.

"I was more aware of that doing this one. I recognised it had to be a success," he says, then corrects himself: "No, it didn't have to be but I do feel a bit more pressure on this than Lock Stock. We were aware of it when we were filming."

Those nerves have been eased now "because I've got a little bit more feedback" on the finished movie. That includes a US screening which was a big success despite fears about Americans not understanding the cockney accents. "It played better there than it did here. Now they're going to give it a pretty sensible release over there," says the director.

Its chances at the US box office will be enhanced by having a big US star in the cast and helping promote the movie. Brad Pitt practically begged to be in Snatch in which he's cast as an Irish gypsy and bare knuckle fighter.

"It came about because he saw Lock Stock. He was a fan and I'm a big fan of everything he's done. The last time we were in the States with Vinnie, Brad called me and asked to be in my next film," he recalls.

Pitt - who left new bride, Friends star Jennifer Aniston, to attend the London premiere - was happy to muck in with everyone else. He demanded no special treatment and, by all accounts, didn't receive any.

"The fact that he got Lock Stock made me suppose he would get on with the rest of the team. He had no airs and graces that were disproportionate. He was a brother."

Using many of the same cast and crew from Lock Stock would seem to have made for a happy, laddish atmosphere on set. Part of the fun and games was a system of fines drawn up by Ritchie for such misdemeanours as being late and mobile phones ringing on set.

"I introduced the fine system to keep the troops in order - and fined Vinnie for not paying his fines. But I was the worst one. I ended up owing two grand at the end of the day," he says.

"When your phone rang on set there was a heavy fine. Every time I turned mine off, someone would switch it on again and then phone me. It ended up getting a bit out of hand."

International press coverage of Madonna, her boyfriend and her pregnancy has been extensive too. Ritchie sidetracks questions about being famous and having your face in the papers day after day by saying: "I've been so busy that I haven't had any time to think about it. I have not read the papers so much in the last couple of years. It's just work and soldiering on."

That work might one day include making a movie with Madonna. "I would consider it," he says. "Not at the moment although it would make life quite easy in some respects."

He has included the Madonna song Lucky Star on the Snatch soundtrack - "I think she has a career in front of her," he jokes - although her record company made him pay for the right to use the single.

Madonna and baby Rocco stayed back home at her Los Angeles mansion while Ritchie flew to London for the Snatch premiere. Whether he would be happy to settle in the US permanently is open to question. "The sun shines in California and it has certain things to offer," is all he'll say.

He's unsure too about his next feature film. "I will definitely do something that's different from the last two. I quite fancy doing something large, something epic," he says.

l Snatch (18) goes on general release on Friday after previews at some cinemas on Monday and Thursday