Richard Herring woke up one morning last year and said "Oh f***, I'm 40", and inadvertently realised he had uncovered a whole wealth of new material, just waiting to entertain people.

Which is exactly what the comedian has been doing. From successful runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London's Arts Theatre, Richard is touring with his acclaimed stand-up show and will be at The Theatre Chipping Norton tomorrow night.

But Richard is the first to admit that his existence isn't the norm.

"Married men with kids are envious because I can sit around in my pants all day if I want to, and I'm jealous of them for having a family, so people view me with a mixture of envy and pity," he chuckles. "There's stuff like that in the show and also lots of silly bits about fighting, wearing figure-hugging T-shirts, teenage girls and grey hair."

So does this mean Richard is finally growing up?

"Well, I've just bought a skate board and don't even know how to use it..." he concedes, "but for most men a mid-life crisis is all about what have I achieved?' and for me I was drinking and partying too much and didn't achieve much," he laughs.

"So I've stopped all that, lost a few stone and given up the booze and I feel much better for it. My only regret is wasting time."

"But self-mockery is absolutely vital for a stand-up," he concludes. "It's the comedian's job to show the ridiculousness of what we do - and it's a job I'm very happy to keep doing."

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