With his trademark top hat, flowing locks and general cadaverous appearance, Jerry Sadowitz looks as if he could make himself a few quid as a professional mourner, walking in front of those black-plumed horses that pull Victorian coffin carriages, writes GEORGE FREW.

In fact, Sadowitz earns his living by combining shows of close-up magic - the really tricky, sleight-of-hand, clever stuff - with stand-up comedy, and by hosting his Channel 5 series, The People vs Jerry Sadowitz.

Sadowitz is widely regarded as a comedy genius and he'd probably be a lot more famous if he was prepared to play the showbiz game, which involves attending parties and sucking up to the powerful people who can make or break your career.

That, however, is not Jerry's way.

"I'm always being told that I'll never get anywhere until I learn to behave myself," he says. "What they mean by that is kissing people's a**** and I've never done that in my life."

Fortunately, "kissing people's a****" is not part of Channel 5's requirements. To its credit, the channel went with the Sadowitz show when other broadcasting organisations were turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to Jerry's talents. And talented he certainly is. There are claims that every comedian who has ever seen him work has come away with a little something of Jerry's which they then proceed to make their own.

"I'm absolutely p***** off with it," he says. "There's not one of them who has come to see me since 1986 who hasn't taken something from my act."

Is he bitter, then? "What do you think?"

I remind him that there are people out there prepared to give him his due - even the acerbic London Evening Standard telly critic Victor Lewis-Smith, a man not noted for gushing praise. Lewis-Smith once wrote that Sadowitz in full flow was worth 100 Harry Enfields.

Typically, Jerry remains distinctly unimpressed by this. "I'm not interested in what critics have to say. I used to be bitter about it all and now I've got so angry that I can't watch TV any more. "Your success should be based on your work and your talent. I don't drink and I don't go to showbiz parties - that's fine if that's what you want to do, but I don't. No, I can't."

In the new series of The People vs Jerry Sadowitz, he'll be literally taking the show on the road over a period of eight weeks - and he'll be stopping off in Oxford.

If you haven't seen the programme, it involves members of the public talking to Jerry on any subject under the sun. There's only one proviso - they must not be boring. If they are, Sadowitz sounds the clanging chimes of doom on them by ringing the bell which alerts his bouncer to escort the offender off.

And this time around, the bouncer is the genuine article - one Dave Courtney, former debt collector, south London criminal and mate of the Kray twins.

"Taking the show on the road was always the idea," Sadowitz explains. "But at first Channel 5 just didn't have the money. "I don't want people who are there just because they want to be on television and I don't want them talking about anything topical that you can see and hear about on other shows. In general, the things that tend to interest me are passionately-held beliefs - and they can be on anything from Spinoza to toilet paper. "It's not actually me that they're entertaining, but if one brilliant thought emerges then that will have made TV useful."

After the series, Sadowitz plans to tour his close-up magic show round small venues so his audience can see what it's all about. He's reckoned to be among the top five in the world at this stuff and clearly loves it.

He was born in New Jersey 36 years ago but moved to Glasgow with his mother and sister when he was seven. He came to London at 17, did the usual menial jobs and made his breakthrough at the Comedy Store in 1985. His only BBC2 series to date is The Pall Bearer's Revue - highly apt, given his lugubrious appearance.

"I don't consider myself to be an American or Scottish or a Londoner," he says. "I'm nomadic, really - I don't belong anywhere."

Despite his avowed non-showbiz ways, there's no doubt Jerry Sadowitz deserves a much higher profile, but he's phlegmatic about this, as ever. "To make it in this business, you have to be English, middle-class and gay," he says.

"And I'm working-class, from Glasgow and I'm not."

But does he care? What do you think?

CAN YOU RISE TO IT?

Do you have the charisma of Connery or the wit of Wilde?

More importantly, can you spin a story that's going to keep Jerry Sadowitz captivated?

If you can, you could be the one lucky Oxford Mail reader with a chance of winning £1,000.

Entertain Jerry with your point of view and, above all, don't bore him, and the cash is yours. It's as simple as that.

For your chance to have a go, ring London Weekend Television on 0845 6066102 for more details. Calls are charged at local rate.

Jerry comes to the Oxford Union on June 24 and the new series is screened on Channel 5 in September.

Story date: Saturday 22 May

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.