Are you looking forward to coming up to Dunfermline?

"Yes. My last memory of Dunfermline, I was gigging in Perth and in Perth they told me about the Stone of Destiny. It was a stone that the British stole from the high kings of Scotland and but then in the ‘50s or ‘60s Scotland stole it back. I’d never heard of it.

"So I go into Dunfermline to the dressing room and there’s a book about the Stone of Destiny on my table and it’s signed saying here you go, this is from so and so in Perth but I can’t stay in Dunfermline because I hate it so much, I have to go back to Perth. So Dunfermline, yeah it’s a gorgeous venue."

Do you like playing to Scottish audiences?

"Yeah definitely, they don’t give a s***e, they just say whatever. Gigging for Scots is f*****g easy. The Scots don’t understand the word heckle, they think it means ‘helping’ when they go out the door they’re going, ‘that was me, I helped him’ I did that."

Audience participation seems to be a fundamental part of your shows?

"The show is in two halves. The first half is basically me p*****g about with the audience and getting lots of information and doing some stand up with that.

"The second half is much more me doing my prepared stand up. I just throw it out there then whatever happens, happens. Sometimes I get through all the material, sometimes I don’t, it all depends on the room."

Is it not a bit nerve wracking leaving it all up to chance like that?

"It’s not left up to chance that much, if something doesn’t work I just go into material. I’m not just going to stand there and hope for two f*****g hours jeez that would be a nightmare. I’ve got a lot of it prepared and then I hope I’m able to play about a good lot because that’s what cheers me up."

How did you get in to comedy in the first place?

"I was working in a warehouse doing lighting for fashion shows and rock bands. Then I went to a comedy club and there was a joke competition, and I won the joke competition and then the guy who was running the gig asked me did I want to do some gigs. I said no.

"Then I said, I’m not doing stand up, that was a joke competition, I didn’t even get up, I just wrote a joke. He was like ‘ah go on’ and he booked me in for seven open spots and it went OK. I kept doing it, more and more and more time slots until I didn’t have time to work. I just kept going and that was me."

Was comedy a big part of your life when you were growing up?

"Oh yeah, I grew up in the 80s so comedy was rife on telly. Day and night, all the time. You’d be watching Benny Hill, Fawlty Towers, Billy Connolly. That’s what I watched all my life, stand up, sitcoms and sketch shows.

"That wasn’t something that I thought about, my dad loved them. I just watched them because in those days there was only one TV so whatever your dad watched is what you watched."

Who do you think would be one to watch on the comedy circuit at the minute, have you got any hot tips?

"I don’t see anybody. I’m on my own all the time, so there are young comics that I’ll see now and again in Edinburgh but I don’t know any of their names. There was some Irish woman. Oh see but that’s no good to you, an Irish woman, that’s who’s going to be a hit next this Irish girl."

You’ve been a regular at Edinburgh Festival for years, do you enjoy doing the Fringe?

"Ah yeah it’s great, I’ve been there for 18 years so it’s a great experience. It’s my second home. Edinburgh made me the comic I am. It made me a hard-necked f****r because in Edinburgh I did all the late shows, the middle shows, my own shows and the impossible show, all of them.

"So if you want to get rid of your fear on stage just go and do Edinburgh and do all the different types of mad show and you’ll soon sort yourselves out. It’s like a big gym for comics."

You’ve travelled about on tours and been all over the world, where’s your favourite place to visit?

"Australia. I’ve just finished the tour I was doing there and gigging in cities where you can just walk down to the beach the next morning, everywhere, along all the coast that’s just excellent. It’s gorgeous, it’s quite expensive but f**k me it’s a great place, I love it.

"In Darwin there were loads of Scots and loads of Irish and Australians and English. Everybody always goes, ahh the Irish and the English we’re just like the Australians. No. We are not like Australians.

"Australians are completely straight down the line, they follow the rules. They don’t drink anything like we drink, one drink to them is half a pint. By midnight they’re done, but go to New Zealand, which is literally next door, well, five hour flight, and it’s f*****g f*****g mental. They’re exactly like the Scots and the Irish."

Do you get much spare time? What do you do to relax?

"I do. This tour that I’m doing now is only about 16 dates, I’m going home to the family as much as I can. I’m with my children for at least four days average of the week, so that’s quite important now. Especially because they’re 13 and 6 so they need their dad around them."

Is it relaxing being back at home?

"My favourite place to be is in my house. The travelling around is just crazy. I’m a real homebird, I’m happy just to sit there and watch television and potter about the house and get stuff done. I like fixing things, but I’m not very good at it. I fix something then my wife has to get somebody in to totally finish it. But you’ve got to try, you know."