What's on: The Tim Vine Chat Show, Burnley, February 27

But for his new tour Tim Vine is turning talk show host, with special guests being members of the audience.

“That’s why I’m only doing 10 dates. It could be total chaos,” he laughed.

As the audience go into the show they will be handed slips asking for their name, occupation and if anything ridiculous has ever happened to them.

Tim will then choose five members of the audience to be his guests and tell their stories on stage.

“Once they get up there I will chip in like Basil Brush,” he said.

“I tried the show in Edinburgh last year and I’ve done a few more since and, so far, there hasn’t been a complete disaster.

“Only those who’d like to be called up need fill in the form but I would ask people not to fill a slip in for someone else as that really could cause problems.

“I do try to put people at their ease and relax and the great thing for me is that I haven’t got a clue about the stories a show might unearth.

“Because you can only write a sentence to describe your strange experience I’ve had a number of really intriguing replies which has meant I’ve just had to get them up on stage to find out more.”

The new shows are completely different from Tim’s previous tours, which earned him a reputation for telling joke after joke.

He’s a former world record holder for telling the most jokes in an hour.

“This tour isn’t a sign that I’ve run out of jokes,” he laughed.

“I do need to write a new show and I haven’t so that’s one reason for the new approach but I’ll be doing some stand-up at the start.

“It’s not as though I’m doing an Alan Partridge.

“It’s not about me being a character.

“I will still be me, just with members of the audience with me. If I do get someone who gets overcome and just clams up on stage then I’ll have my work cut out but that’s all part of the excitement of a live show.

“None of us really knows what to expect.”

*The Tim Vine Chat Show, Burnley Mechanics, Monday, February 27. Details from the box office on 01282 664400.