Jack Dee comes to Aberystwyth Arts Centre this Thursday, 5 March, with his Off The Telly tour, and the comedian can’t wait!

One of the most popular stand-ups in the country for the past three decades, Jack’s appetite for live comedy shows no sign of diminishing.

"I still get the same buzz as ever from stand-up – if not more,” Jack said.

“When I started, it all happened so fast. The arrogance of youth makes you think, ’this is obviously my birthright’.

"It’s only as you get older that you realise you need to nurture it. I am delighted the people still come out to see me. I feel so gratified that people turn up, know what I’m about and really enjoy it."

It’s six years since Jack’s last tour and he can’t wait to get back to his first love.

"I have been away from live comedy making TV projects.

"You get a gratification from live stage work that you simply don’t get from telly. Onstage, you get an immediate response from the audience. You can think of something on your way to the theatre, open the show with it, and get a huge laugh. That makes you feel, ’Wow!’ You don’t get that making telly."

He went on: "I hope audiences find me a refreshing voice.

"It’s not a TED talk.

"I’m not there to give any answers. I’m just a person who is flailing around. I don’t want to present myself as the good guy. I’m the person who is lost.

"It’s about owning up about being confused and aimless and not knowing what to say or do. That’s where the comedy lies, rather than trying to present yourself as outside the sphere of difficulty."

The comedian, who has also appeared in three series of the BBC sitcom Josh and Channel 4’s Power Monkeys, adds that he is also anxious to remain neutral on the vexatious subject of Brexit.

"I remain quiet about my views on that. I’m not waving any flags. I want to be able to stand back and be one of the millions of people who are bemused by the whole thing."

All the same, Jack admits that the current state of political strife is fertile ground for comedians.

"Of course, that friction is great food for comedy. The only problem is, it’s quite a challenge not to alienate one side or the other. My aim is to get the whole audience to say, ’Fair enough, that is funny’.

"That’s the dynamic I use. You know people on both sides feel very passionate. That creates energy and tension - and tension is an essential part of the comedian’s arsenal."

In the tour, the comic turns his attention to the subject of celebrity.

"I deliver an anti-celebrity take that the audience really enjoys.

“We have reached saturation point with TV celebrity shows.

“I can’t watch them anymore. I don’t get any nourishment from it.

"When a format becomes popular, it eventually cannibalises itself. A good example is the arc of success and demise of Big Brother. It started as a fascinating idea about people in a room together having to get along and deal with whatever was thrown at them.

"At some point in the third or fourth series, the producers realised that they got great ratings when the housemates fell out. So they said, ’Let’s choose people who we know will fall out’. There was an element of manipulation, which introduced ugliness to the whole thing.”

Jack, who won the first series of Celebrity Big Brother, added: "There is also so much repetition on television now.

“Do you want to watch someone buying a house, someone cleaning a house or someone being arrested?

“There is a sense that we are living vicariously through these programmes. There is nothing but amazing cookery shows on TV. I love cooking, but the more I watch them, the less I cook. I satisfy the need by watching someone else do it! Perhaps it’s an age thing. I’m growing into the person I always mocked. I’m becoming a grumpy old git!"

Jack, who will also tackle the subjects of climate change, social media and the woke movement, says comedy has a vital part to play in these troubled times.

"I hope comedy always has a role to play and doesn’t get bullied into receding and not having its voice heard.

"It’s very healthy that people insist on being ridiculous and on seeing the stupid side of things. I’ve always thought of comedy as a sanitary system for the brain, disposing of all the crap. Flush it out with a good laugh!"

Jack closes by emphasising what he hopes audiences will take away from Off the Telly.

"I just hope people have had a great laugh. It’s not a message-laden show. You’re not meant to go away having deep thoughts.

"If you do, I’ve failed!"

· Jack Dee’s Off The Telly is at Aberystwyth Arts Centre this Thursday, 5 March at 8pm.

Interview by James Rampton