Camper than camp comedian, actor and compere Julian Clary likes it up North.

"The further you drive the funnier they get," he said.

"You can't beat a Glasgow audience. They are so extroverted, my shows get longer whenever I am there because you get so much dialogue."

On the eve of a four-month UK tour, the man who took a lip gloss brush to light entertainment told The Westmorland Gazette he was all revved up and ready to hit the road.

Julian, who appears at Preston's Guild Hall on April 3, said: "I love being on tour. I like all the stuff other people seem to hate - the motorway service stations, checking in and out of hotels. I like it because it is under my control. I get to do exactly what I want."

And the blond-haired, mascara-lashed master of the double entendre is the kind of chap who tends to go his own sweet way.

From his schooldays, the unlikely offspring of a traffic policeman and a prison officer had a sense he was different.

"My home life was very happy. My parents encouraged us all to be individuals but schools do not like you to be an individual. I was taught by Benedictine Monks some were very kind, gentle, holy men but some weren't. It wasn't my finest hour. I didn't conform and I didn't fit in. For eight years of my life I remember feeling that it was a very odd place."

Weaned on idols Larry Grayson, Terry Wogan, and Les Dawson, the young Julian spent Saturday night with a TV dinner on his lap pondering the future.

His love of stage and sparkle can be traced to days when he watched his elder sister, a Tiller Girl, layering on the war paint and gearing up for show time.

"I was at a very impressionable age. I loved all the make-up and costumes. I remember thinking - I'll do that. But I couldn't dance or anything so I went to learn."

His journey up the sequined ladder of fame began with a degree in English and Drama at Goldsmith's College, London.

Spells on stage and screen followed and a series of risqu slots on Channel Four saw him becoming a household name.

His parents Brenda and Peter remained supportive of their son, who regularly donned PVC and rubber on national TV.

"I think my parents really enjoy what I do. They come to some of my gigs so they must do. My sense of humour comes from them, it's all their fault."

In his down time he remains softly spoken, casually dressed and is often to be found kicking around his local park with the latest love of his life Valerie the dog.

"I keep going by doing things like taking Valerie for a walk. I am very big on living in the moment. You have got to make the most of each day as it comes. I know it sounds crass but its true."

He confesses his own choice of comedy viewing is a little off-beat.

"I laugh at stuff that isn't intended to be laughed at. I like Crimewatch, seeing the D.I.s struggling to read the autocue, things like that."

Despite his flamboyant on-stage appearance in his current tour he is clad in a corset and head dress - he claims to be a true Brit with a stiff upper lip and deep mistrust of "unnecessary touching".

"I don't like being touched and I don't like displays of emotion so I suppose I am very British in that respect."

Secure about his looks, he abandoned the gym years back when he realised beyond a certain point it was like treading water.

"Mother Nature has been kind to me I mean, look at Graham Norton," he sniffs.

No shrinking violet, he basks in his fame and makes it plain he has no intention of hanging up his headdress.

"I think it is lovely to be recognised, being famous makes life more interesting. I would recommend it."

And with that the man with the soft voice and sharp tongue heads off to the park with Valerie.

l Julian also plays at The Lowry, Manchester, on Thursday, May 29, box office 0870-111-2000.