ALAN Carr is a busy bee – his new stand-up show, which comes to Blackburn next weekend will take him to over 120 different venues around the UK.

“I adore touring – it keeps me out of mischief!” said Alan. “This is the biggest tour I’ve ever done.”

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Alan’s new show Yap, Yap, Yap! follows previous sell-out live tours with Tooth Fairy and Spexy Beast.

On TV he’s hosted 13 series of his own chat show Chatty Man on Channel 4 and has won both a Bafta and British Comedy Award.

But for Alan, nothing beats the buzz of a live show.

“I love live comedy,” he said. “Sometimes the politics of doing the chat show and booking guests can be frustrating. And occasionally you’ll have a dud guest with nothing to say.

“But when it’s just you on stage with a mic in front of lots of people who have come specifically to see you, it’s fantastic.

“You’re the boss. I get such a buzz on stage. It’s a complete adrenalin rush. When you dream up new material and think, ‘Great, I can add that to the set,’ it’s a wonderful feeling. If it works, a new joke always brings a smile to my face. It’s such a thrill.”

Alan has a massive and loyal fanbase, which is mobilised whenever he tours. “Some venues have sold out within five minutes,” the comic reveals. “People have apparently been sleeping outside to get tickets – oh please, stop it! That’s sweet, but unnecessary.

“I always leave it three years between tours. I don’t know how Jimmy Carr does it, touring all the time. But I’m lucky enough to have the chat show to keep me busy in between.

“And it means that if I haven’t been touring for three years, it’s more of an event when I do.”

Alan is quick to acknowledge his devoted fans.

“They’re always lovely,” he said. “A lot of them want to mother me.

“I’ve got one of those faces that makes women want to put me on their chest and stroke my hair. Blokes do the same – they always want to nestle me on their chests!”

Such is his rapport with his fans that Alan has deliberately chosen to perform at more intimate venues on the “Yap, Yap, Yap!” tour.

“I could have played arenas and done the tour within a month, but in those big places you can’t talk to the audience.

“If you mention the jumper of someone in the front row, 11,999 other people say, ‘What’s he on about?’ “With arena shows, the material doesn’t evolve. You don’t want to take the gamble of trying out new stuff in front of 12,000 people. And if you lose the room at an arena, you can’t get it back because it’s so big.

“Putting a show on in a theatre, everyone there feels they have had a unique night that won’t happen anywhere else.”

So what subjects will Alan be discussing in “Yap, Yap, Yap!”?

“This show is very personal,” he said. “It’s a gamble including so much personal stuff, but it pays dividends.

“The more personal stuff you put in, the more people go ‘Aaah!’ Also, the audience can smell if you start lying in your act. There is an honesty in this show that people will appreciate.

“I called it, ‘Yap, Yap, Yap!’ because there’s a lot of waffle out there. With blogs and Twitter, everyone has an opinion nowadays. I can’t believe I’ll be waffling on stage for two hours – I’m adding to it!”

  • Alan Carr, King George’s Hall, Blackburn, Saturday, May 2. Details from 0844 847 1664.