Lord of the Mince stems from the fact that Clary has, by his own admission, "done for mincing what Michael Flatley did for dancing".
The comedian, who turned 50 last year, has been a regular on the nation's TV screens for almost 25 years.

But his new show touring the country sees him return to his roots as a stand-up comedian.

"At first, I thought: 'Do I want to tour at my age? Will anyone turn up? Am I past it?' But as soon as I got the show on the road, all those doubts evaporated. I'm having a lovely time. Now is definitely the right time to be playing live again," he says.

"It's going back to basics. It's how I started in comedy. I get very playful on stage, which makes it great fun. It's a very silly show – I've always liked the lighter, more trivial side of life. There is no hidden message in this show, no attempt to change the world. It's about fun for its own sake. That's the service I offer."

Now aged 50, Clary's appearance on TV's family-orientated Strictly Come Dancing is a long way from some of his early, gaffe-prone incarnations, notably his ill-advised, if hilarious, comments about then Chancellor Norman Lamont.

"I was nervous before hitting 50 - it always sounded like a comedy age," says Clary. "But in fact, it's great being 50. Once you've got all the cards, you soon get used to it!

"The great thing is, at this age you can do what you want. You're so far away from your 20s and all those great expectations.

"You have to embrace 50 – what's the alternative? A number of people haven't made it to this age, so you owe it to them to really enjoy it."

The comic, who first made his name 20 years ago with his own C4 series, Sticky Moments with Julian Clary, continues: "As I get older, I'm more and more fearless. I now have this feeling of being able to do all these different things.

"I'm so relaxed about life, I feel I can do what I like. I'm really enjoying that sense of liberation. I realise that it's not worth getting upset about the things that used to bother me. I used to have panic attacks and get anxious about things. But I don't anymore. It's about acquiring a sense of peace and learning to live in the moment."

Clary now lives a sedate, suburban life in a seven-bedroom mansion once owned by playwright Noel Coward, a fellow native of Teddington, but it's on stage that he feels most at home.

"You get a huge hit when the audience laughs – it's still about that. When you get it right, it's such a thrill. It's good for the soul.

"I still get the odd sharp intake of breath, especially from blue-rinse ladies in pearls who've come along to see 'that nice boy from Strictly Come Dancing'! But I don't feel the need to shock now – people are much more accepting and less fearful these days.

"I have nothing left to prove. Now I just want to entertain and make people laugh. I think that's what I was put on earth for!"

* Julian Clary's Lord of the Mince is at the St Helens Theatre Royal on Thursday, February 11. For tickets or more details call the box office on 01744 756000.