In this interview with James Rampton the comic reveals what is in store.
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He has made the landmark into a major theme in his brilliant new live show, Lord of the Mince. The title, he jokes, stems from the fact that, 'I have done for mincing what Michael Flatley did for dancing.'

Like all the best stand-ups, Julian is able to pan through his own life and come up with comic gold. With Lord of the Mince, he is touring the British Isles for the first time in several years.

He said: 'At first, I thought: "Do I want to tour at my age? Will anyone turn up? Am I past it?"

'But as soon as I got the show on the road, all those doubts evaporated. I'm having a lovely time. Now is definitely the right time to be playing live again.

'It's going back to basics. It's how I started in comedy. I get very playful on stage, which makes it great fun. It's a very silly show — I've always liked the lighter, more trivial side of life.
'There is no hidden message in this show, no attempt to change the world. It's about fun for its own sake. That's the service I offer.'

The comic, who first made his name 20 years ago with his own C4 series, Sticky Moments with Julian Clary, continues that, 'as I get older, I'm more and more fearless. I now have this feeling of being able to do all these different things. I'm so relaxed about life, I feel I can do what I like. I'm really enjoying that sense of liberation.

I realise that it's not worth getting upset about the things that used to bother me. I used to have panic attacks and get anxious about things. But I don't anymore. It's about acquiring a sense of peace and learning to live in the moment.'

That sense of liberation encouraged Julian to take part in Strictly Come Dancing a couple of years ago – and he proved a massive hit on the BBC1 Reality TV show.

His involvement in the programme is another subject he waltzes through with great aplomb in Lord of the Mince.

'It's given my career a great boost – it's been a real shot in the arm. I couldn't have foreseen the reaction, but it introduced me to a whole new audience and brought out my fearlessness. I could never have predicted that I would be able to dance, but Strictly has opened up a lot of new possibilities for me.'

One of which was going on the arena tour of Strictly Come Dancing earlier this year – an occasion that has proved a rich source of material for Lord of the Mince.

Julian, who performed a samba and a quickstep on the arena tour, reveals that, 'I played it all for comedy. Strictly is ripe for comedy. Everyone takes it seriously, and you have to stand there while the judges say rude things about you – it's crying out for someone to send it up.

'On the tour, my intention from the start was to get revenge for all the nasty things the judges said about me on TV. So if Craig Revel Horwood called me, "limp, languid and lacklustre", I'd make some reference to Australian drag queens and what happens if you overdose on Botox. As he'd say, it's just like panto, and he's been cast as the panto villain.'

The judges' harsh criticism on the tour actually helped Julian. 'The audience voted by text, and I won three times despite getting the lowest mark from the judges. I pleaded with the audience – "please vote for me, my mother's not very well. Winning this is the only thing that will cheer her up."'

The comic, who began as an act called The Joan Collins Fan Club, in the company of his beloved Fanny the Wonder Dog, has over many years on stage built up a great relationship with his audience. Now he is revelling in reconnecting with people in the live arena.

But Julian does not feel an overwhelming desire to outrage his audiences anymore. 'I still get the odd sharp intake of breath, especially from blue-rinse ladies in pearls who've come along to see "that nice boy from Strictly Come Dancing!" But I don't feel the need to shock now – people are much more accepting and less fearful these days,' he says.

With a smile of satisfaction, Julian concludes: 'I have nothing left to prove. Now I just want to entertain and make people laugh. I think that's what I was put on earth for!'

Tickets for the Gaiety Theatre show are £20 and are available from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, Douglas, by ringing the ticket hotline on 600555 and 694555 and online at www.villagaiety.com

The show is suitable for ages 16 and above.