Lucky Jim

Jim Davidson is on fighting form. Raving about the election, opinions flying as fast as his uncensored material, he’s as unapologetic as ever and eager to tell you all about it.

Whether he gets the chance to is another matter, because Oxford seems to be his most disapproving audience, or as he puts it “the quietest leg of the tour”.

So don’t the Oxford punters laugh at his jokes then?

“What audience? There’s only ever four people and I can never see them it’s so dark in that theatre,” he says.

“But actually it’s not people from Oxford who come to the show – it’s people from places like Abingdon and Brize Norton.”

And yet regardless of the demographics, Jim’s still on the road, still doing his thing, and still as infamous as ever.

And he’s back as a resident, five years in Dubai being enough, it would seem.

“Yes, I did miss it, although Dubai was really convenient for touring Australia and writing. But it had been too long. I’d written a cookbook, a TV series, a novel, and three plays out there. I was turning into Ernie Wise.

“And I missed the fish and chips, driving, the football teams and being near my children, in that order,” he howls again.

“So I’m loving being back. I now have a lovely home in a little village called Stockbridge where the River Test rushes through the garden and it’s bliss.”

Now with wife number five, Jim’s once again chasing the domestic dream, and who knows, maybe this time he’s found it. Either way, he’s a firm believer in matrimony.

So how was the wedding? “It was great actually. All of my five children came and all got terribly drunk.”

So why get married at all? Why not just live-together-and-see-how-it-goes?

“She wanted to marry me and I like the security of being married,” he says surprised.

“And anyway my wife’s 1,000 years younger than me, so by the time I die she’ll still only be 22,” and he cracks up again.

“Besides, you can’t live together in Dubai unless you’re man and wife.”

Even if his comedy affronts you, Jim Davidson’s unstinting support of the British Armed Forces is a constant.

He is continually fundraising for them, raising millions over the years, and persistently returns to the war zones to entertain the troops and boost morale, which earned him an OBE in 2001.

But ask the former Generation Game and Big Break presenter about politics, and it’s like unleashing a bat out of hell.

“Clegg? He’s a bit of a wally isn’t he? And why should the people who work hard have to pay so much tax just to give to all those people who don’t work?” he says. “And Simon Cowell should have chaired the live debates. In the end it looked like the election was being run by the Jeremy Kyle Show.”

“As for withdrawing the British troops from Afghanistan, it’s the British Army for God’s sake and they will only come home when the job is done.

“I met one soldier recently who had lost one arm and both legs and his main concern was having to leave the army and his friends out in Afghanistan. He wanted to get back out there as soon as possible and our young lads are queuing up to get sent out. And by God if we have any self-respect and love of this country, the one thing we should be doing is supporting our troops,” he says.

“But then I’d rather face the Taliban than the audience in Oxford,” he laughs.

So what can we expect from his new show If I Ruled The World, which is coming to the New Theatre on Saturday?

“Well it’s a bit like this actually, but with more swear words. The fans will enjoy it. I’m the same but a bit more manic. And when you’re not on stage life is so dull.

“So maybe I’ll have to take up shark wrestling or base jumping, although marriage is just as dangerous actually.”

And any last words of encouragement to his fans in Oxford?

“Just tell the four faithfuls to bring their mates and we might be all right,” he laughs.

Jim Davidson will be appearing at the New Theatre on Saturday, May 15. Call the box office on 0844 8471588.