AT the end of Phil Buckley’s first show, Stroke The Panda, in which he explored some of the more outrageous chat-up techniques and how they can go horribly wrong, it appeared the Bury comedian had found true love.

After all, that was the theme of the show. However, there was a slight hitch — Phil was still very much single.

“I did lie at the end of the show,” he says. “You can’t say you haven’t met someone when people have sat through an hour-long show, it would be miserable!”

Happily, shortly afterwards the 30-year-old met someone for real, and so can cheerily replumb the depths of his dating despair in his new show, Love Fool.

“The worst date I ever went on was probably a blind date with a girl who I was so incompatible with that when we were in the club I fell asleep with my head on a speaker,” he says.

Love Fool will be unveiled as part of Preston’s Tringe Festival, and Phil has some very simple advice for men who are still looking to find the love of their lives.

“You need to not stress about it, because that’s when you come across as a nutter,” he says.

“I’ve pretty much done everything you shouldn’t. You should especially avoid concocting an elaborate false life — I’ve told girls that I know famous people, that always backfires because they’re not interested in you, they’re interested in the famous person.”

With television appearances on ITV’s stand-up show Glee Time and regular appearances on Channel M, including being one of the original team captains on The Basement, Phil is becoming a familiar face with regular appearances on TV and radio.

He has also toured with three shows, supported American acts Reginald D Hunter and Pablo Francisco and made appearances with Slaughter House Live and Korean martial arts comedy, Jump.

* Phil Buckley will appear at The Adelphi, in Fylde Street, Preston on July 28 and 29 at 8.30pm. Tickets cost £4, and are available from tringe.co.uk.