ROSS Noble, one of the country’s most inventive comedians, brings his ‘Nonsensory Overload’ tour to the Alhambra tomorrow (Friday) night. Ross (34, right) has been doing stand-up since he was 15 and reckons you need to have 20 years’ experience before you’ve arrived.

“So in a year and a bit’s time I’ll be...hosting game shows,” he laughs.

In those 18-plus years, Ross has built up a huge fan base around the world and staged the biggest ever stand-up gig in Australia where he lived for a time. He returned to the UK this year when the family home down under was razed to the ground in a bush fire!

He likes to create a relaxed atmosphere at his gigs. He says, “Some stand-ups can be a bit aggressive and set it up as ‘us and them’. “But I feel very lucky b e c a u s e when my audi enc e s come along it’s all positive.

“There is a perception that if you sit in the front row standups will take the mick out of you. “But there’s a big difference between taking the mick and singling people out which is what I do. “I want to talk to people and draw them into the show. It’s about creating as opposed to destroying. I want my audience to go away saying, ‘It was brilliant to be involved’. I’d like them to think, ‘Wo u l d n ’ t it be great if he talked to me?’ rather than, ‘Oh my God!’”Ross certainly doesn’t believe in using a fixed routine. “I like to take an idea and allow it to flourish on stage,” he said. “You kick it around and play with it and see where it leads you. The problem with writing stuff down is that it makes it too final and gives it a set order.” In two Channel 4 surveys of the greatest stand-up comedians Ross has been rated 10th and 11th. He appears at the Alhambra on Friday 15th. Doors 7pm, for 8pm start. Tickets £21 from the box office or www.

ticketmaster.co.uk Here's a video of Ross Noble explaining why you should never put a blanket over an owl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxVec_zCC80