“Did you know that it’s snowing in Leek?” were Russell Watson’s first words to me. “Somebody I know has just texted me saying there is an inch of snow in Leek!” He chuckled heartily.

This natural mateyness is, of course, one of the reasons why so many people adore him. It’s not just that mesmerising voice; it’s the fact that, despite being an internationally acclaimed star, he still possesses that down to earth, boy-next-door image.

I caught up with him just before the release of his ninth album, La Voce, last November, and found him bubbling with excitement about what he feels is his best album to date.

“It’s the first classical record that I’ve released since 2004, so it’s a very important record for me in more ways than one,” he told me. “First and foremost because of what I’ve been through in the last four or five years with my health, and secondly because I haven’t been able to sing the big notes and hit the big powerful range that I was able to hit at the beginning of my career.

“Because of that I’m singing with a new vigour and a new joy for life. I think you don’t fully appreciate what you’ve got until you’ve almost lost it. With the lump I had on my vocal cords and then the two brain tumours, I got a double whammy.”

People are saying that Russell’s voice has changed since his two life-saving operations — does he feel the same? “When I listen to my voice now, I’m way more satisfied with the end result than I ever have been,” he said.

“If you listen to my first recordings, and then listen to the new album, you can hear that there is quite a dramatic timbre change. It’s a thicker, deeper, richer sound, and there’s more control, I think. I’ve maintained the high end of my register, and actually probably singing higher than I was before.”

La Voce has a predominantly Italian theme, and was recorded, appropriately, in Rome last summer with the Roma Sinfonietta and conductor Ennio Morricone. Tracks include Mario Lanza’s Arrivederci Roma and The Godfather theme tune Parla Piu Pinao, Pino Donaggio‘s Io Chen Non Vivo (Senza Te), E Sara Cosi from the Christopher Reeve film Somewhere in Time, and the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana.

“The Roma Sinfonietta were astonishingly brilliant, and brought a real, authentic feel to the repertoire,” said Russell. “It’s a symphonic record, so there’s no computer trickery on it, no keyboards or sample files or anything — it’s just about the orchestra and my voice.”

With a 21-date tour coming up, Russell has something else to be excited about. “It’s going to be the biggest tour I’ve ever done in the UK.

“I can’t wait to get out there and start singing with an orchestra and getting round to all the different venues. It’ll be a lot of fun.”

Russell Watson is at the New Theatre, Oxford, on March 28. Box office: 08448 471 588; www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk. La Voce is out now on Epic Records.