Julian Clary may be a dangerous mixture of funny and frank, but the ‘queen of innuendo’ still has the same compulsion as all comedians to get up on stage and make people laugh. That Julian does it in his own imitable style, carving a niche for his camp, bitchy, acerbic style of humour, is all the better.

“It’s rather sweet that the people who saw me when they were students are now coming to my shows with their grown-up children. There is a real history there. People know what they’re buying the ticket for: glamour, nonsense and vulgarity,” he says proudly.

Back with a new show to peddle, Position Vacant: Apply Within was a natural progression after his partner upped sticks and moved to LA. “I didn’t think he was coming back because initially he went for six months, but ended up staying 18. So I thought, ‘I'll show you!’ He’s back now, of course, but the idea of looking for love remains.”

So Julian is now scouring the land for love, “and because your town is noted for its heterosexuals on the cusp, there’s bound to be stiff competition,” he quips, unable to help himself, innuendo still being his badge of honour.

So how does it work? “The show is like an open audition. We get a lot of people up on stage — up to eight. No man is safe, even though they don’t all have to be men, and there is a series of elimination rounds. I have a cattle pen with a white picket fence and a prod so I can herd them into it. The eventual winner has a gay marriage with me, conducted by a ‘bishop’ and the winner is then hoiked backstage to spend time with me at the end of the show.”

Typical Clary then, not that subtlety has ever been his forté, and the concept is proving so successful he’s had to extend the tour. “I genuinely look forward to it and need to go out and feel the love. It’s an addictive thing. Getting a laugh is very good for my soul and for my ego, especially after nine months at home writing a book.”

A compulsion then? “My good friend Paul Merton said to me, ‘You might as well go on tour because you would be doing exactly the same thing if you were just sitting at home.’ Stand-up is just being yourself in an exaggerated form. You’re making yourself feel good, as well as everyone else — it’s a win-win situation,” he says.

It all boils down to the thrill Julian feels whenever he steps on stage.

“I love the fact that it’s my material and my world. I often think how difficult an actor’s life must be — you sit around waiting for someone to invite you to say someone else’s words. But stand-up is your own universe.”

Is that why he did Celebrity Big Brother? “That was a phenomenal opportunity for comedy with that bizarre collection of people — thank God we were able to have a laugh! But I expect someone has done a study of the effects of laughter, and why we love it. If one defines entertainment as a means of escape, then laughter is the ultimate because it’s so transporting. Comedy is about stepping outside the conventional. It’s such an exhilarating experience that it’s very hard to give it up.”

Julian is as proud of his ‘ooh-err missus’ signature as the content of his show: “Camp comedy is a way of trivialising life — and I’m all for that. It has also always worked really well for me. Does Shirley Bassey ever get fed up with singing Diamonds Are Forever? Of course not. It’s who she is. She’s not suddenly going to become a folk singer with a beard and a finger in her ear.

“And there's such a great British tradition of innuendo. The English language lends itself to playing with words and double entendre. That’s specific to English. It’s a way of life for me now. Even on my gravestone there’ll be innuendo: ‘At last, a hole that fits!’”

Still at the top of his game. Julian is so uniquely well suited to his improvisational stand-up that it’s hard to imagine him doing anything else, although with a career as a novelist, plus his numerous reality show appearances to consider, he has ensured his notoriety continues.

“I’m very grateful to be allowed to do all these things. Lord knows, I wouldn’t have lasted five minutes if I’d had to grow up and do something sensible,” he says.

Which takes us back to the show: “People totally get it — it’s greeted with absolute howls of laughter. It’s pretty riotous and anarchic. It may be a load of old nonsense, but it’s great fun and although it requires a lot of plate-spinning, it wakes everyone up.

“Everyone knows it’s dangerous and improvised and anything can happen. It’s about swapping worlds around so the ordinary becomes extraordinary. In my world on-stage, the rules are different. That comic device has served me very well over the years, and people seem to love it.”

And then Julian looks up, smiles and adds: “Besides, I'm still considered quite a catch,” before swaggering off, hands on hips, ready for the next round.

 

Julian Clary
Position Vacant: Apply Within
Oxford Playhouse
Tonight, 8pm
Tickets: £20/£18
Box office: 01865 305305 oxfordplayhouse.com