Lancaster-born comedian and BBC6 Music host Jon Richardson is bringing his Funny Magnet tour to his native North West with shows Whitehaven on February 11, Burnley on February 12, Chorley on March 5 and Liverpool on May 7.

“I haven’t done much comedy in the north, or Lancashire, mainly to avoid having to swear in front of my family," Richardson said.

"I did do Lancaster on the last tour, which was emotional.

"I’ve got dates in Cumbria and in Chorley, which are near for them to come and they do usually come to Edinburgh.”

Having moved from Lancaster to Bristol for university, Jon, 28, has settled in Swindon but he’s now is selling up and house hunting with an aim to coming home, and to split his time between here and London to establish a ‘more settled existence’.

“I have worked really hard in comedy as it was such an opportunity that when you get your break you can’t waste it,” he said.

“It takes a while to have the maturity and confidence to be not afraid of taking some time off and being forgotten.

“I have been very lucky to achieve my dream, but then you still get annoyed at silly things in life.”

And it’s these little annoyances which inspired last year’s Edinburgh show Don’t Worry Be Happy, and the It’s Not Me It’s You show, which he is bringing to Burnley this weekend, where selfish people on trains and overpaid footballers will be among the topics for discussion.

Previous TV work has included Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Grumpy Young Men, and he will be appearing on the next 10-week series of Stand Up For The Week on Channel 4 from March.

Once that and the tour are finished, he’s taking a long, well-earned break which will see him avoid this year’s Edinburgh Festival, with other projects including a book and a play in the pipeline.

“But it’s in the very early stages,” he said. “Writing a play involves a lot of learning and gathering, so it might not be until 2056.”

* Jon Richardson’s Funny Magnet tour comes to Whitehaven Rose Hill Theatre on Friday, February 11; Burnley Mechanics on Saturday, February 12; Chorley Buckshaw Centre on Saturday, March 5; and Liverpool Unity Theatre on Saturday, May 7.