FRANK Skinner is back with his first major tour in seven years and there in no one more delighted than Frank himself.

“I know that the memory can play tricks, but I honestly am enjoying performing now more than I ever did before, “ he said.

“I used to think I was relaxed on stage, but on this tour I have found a whole new level of relaxation. I don’t know if it is to do with age or exhaustion. You know how the contents of a cereal box settle during transit? Maybe my nervous system has finally done that. Anyway, it’s a very special feeling!”

Frank adds that he also revels in performing live comedy because, “It’s so different from other stuff. I like the sense that it’s not being recorded. Even when you come to record your DVD, no matter how much you fight it, you feel that you’re wearing a slightly smaller suit. It feels a lot more restrained.

“So much stuff is recorded these days. Small stand-up clubs will often have a camera at the back of the room, and you never know where the footage will end up. In the end, memories will be completely closed down. YouTube has already totally killed the anecdote. It provides anecdotes for the illiterate: ‘Here’s a funny thing – look at this!’”

Frank also delights in the terrific rapport he enjoys with his audiences. “I love interacting with the audience. When it goes well, suddenly I feel like I’m part of the audience as well.

That’s very exhilarating.”

Frank's unalloyed FRANK IS BACK candour on stage also makes him special. As he ranges over such as varied subjects as relationships, religion, rows with your partner, filth, salty popcorn, Prince Charles, long black leather coats, the yard of ale, giving to the homeless, the Tube and taste, he delivers his material with an admirable sense of honesty.

So just how much of his latest material is lifted directly from his own life? “You’d be amazed! I embroider very little. I never completely invent anything. I think it would lack conviction if I did. It feels more real when it is true.”

One thing that has changed about Frank’s act over the years is that it now features far less blue material than in the past. He says Man in a Suit is merely an account of who he now is. “There’s a bit of filth, but not much. “I’ve done a lot of knob jokes in my time, but maybe I’ve emptied my supply of them now.

Your comedy should be a reflection of what’s in your head, and I just don’t think of sex as much as I used to. When you get into a long relationship, sex is no longer the dominant thing.”

All the same, 57-year-old Frank adds, “I still have to do a bit of filth on stage. If I didn’t, that would be like Bernie Clifton not performing with his ostrich. So I go through a process of negotiation with my audience – 'let me read you some haikus, and I’ll trade you that for some knob gags later on.' I think that’s a fair deal.

I'll talk about Plato, and I'll then give you a knob gag. It's like training a dog: you have to sit while I say my bit, but then I'll reward you with a chocolate biscuit afterwards.”

Frank Skinner will appear at Salisbury City Hall on Sunday.  Tickets are available from ticketmaster.co.uk.