COMEDIAN Mark Watson is pleased to be returning to the city that he called home with his first performance in Salisbury at the Arts Centre.

He is famous for appearing in panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mock the Week after becoming a regular on the comedy circuit.

But he is a stand up comedian first and foremost and is a multi-award winning performer on the stage after shooting to fame with his work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Watson lived in Salisbury for a year when his wife worked at the Playhouse as an assistant-director and consequently has spent many nights out in the city centre.

He said: “I only moved out of the city last year and have many fond memories spent in the pub.

“It means that the whole show is going to be a lot more personal because I can talk with confidence about the places such as Wilton. I am going to put my heart and soul into this performance.”

Now aged 34, Watson is poised to look back at his life and reflect on growing up – including the terrifying aging process, parenthood and the fear of passing bad traits on to your children.

Watson explores human character defects and the effects his own considered flaws have had on his life.

The show is darker than his previous routines but Watson believes that it is still light-hearted in nature.

He said: “The show is about my character flaws. It is something changes as you get older, I have more going on in my life with children so it is reflected in my comedy. I chose the arts centre because it is a more intimate venue, it is something that I decided to do with all of my shows. I wanted to get closer to the audience.”

Watson is one of a younger breed of comedians that have grown up with an explosion in popularity for the profession.

The comedians that perform on the TV panel shows such as Would I Lie to You and Have I Got News For You are becoming as famous as football stars.

Watson said: “I like that comparison, I am a big football fan so I like to think of myself as in the Premier League.

“I am very lucky to have grown up in this generation where comedians are becoming big stars. Once you make it onto the panel shows people really know who you are but even some of the lesser known comedians on the circuit are doing very well.”

He will be performing at Salisbury Arts Centre on Saturday, October 11 at 8pm, tickets cost £15.

For more information and to buy tickets visit salisburyartscentre.co.uk