Joe Pasquale picks his favourite things for Kettering date

And that’s why he is looking forward to returning to the Lighthouse Theatre in Kettering later this month.

Describing his show, A Few of His Favourite Things, Joe said: “It will be singing, dancing, music, magic, mind-reading, painting and a lot of audience participation. It’s me going out there and having a laugh. I can’t wait!

“I never thought I’d still be doing it 30 years later.

“I initially did it because I didn’t want to work for a living, but 30 years later I’m still doing it. It’s busy, but it doesn’t seem like work at all.

“I never look back – I learnt that from Bruce Forsyth. He told me, ‘Never look back, always look forward’.

“I never watch myself back on TV. You can’t change it, so leave it alone. When I occasionally do, I think, ‘I wish I’d done that differently’.”

But despite doing it for three decades, performing stand up is something that he loves.

Joe said: “Definitely. I love that feeling of flying by the seat of your pants. Also, it’s just you. You’re the performer, the producer and the editor. You go on stage and you just go with the flow. I have a rough plan beforehand, then I just see what happens on the night. I like being scared. It makes you realise you’re alive.

“I still get nervous before going on stage. I’ve done a few parachute jumps, and it’s the same feeling. As you’re about to start, you think, “Oh no, oh no. Okay, here we go...now I’m doing it, and it’s great!

“You just hope you have a good landing. I don’t want to be sitting on the sofa at home with my feet up. For me, that’s not experiencing life. I want to do things that really scare me.”

It will also be a return to Northamptonshire for Joe having performed in the revived version of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em earlier this year.

He said: “There is just nothing like it anymore. People adore these characters, and they immediately recognise them. It’s like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers.

“From the moment they hear the theme tune, the audience goes with it and we’re off and it’s non-stop laughter for two hours.

“Frank Spencer is so close to who I am in real life. No acting required! I am accident-prone, and my voice is not a million miles away from Frank’s. I remember watching Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em as a child and thinking, ‘That’s not a sitcom – it’s my daily life!’.

“That feeling hasn’t changed in the past 40 years.”

And the stage is still something that Joe loves.

“I love the fact that it changes every night. It’s the same as stand-up. You never know what it’ll be like. When you make a film, it is put down on celluloid, and then it’s the same for ever. In the theatre, the performances, the audiences and the atmosphere change every night.”

And having achieved so much in his career, does he having any long standing ambitions left. The answer might surprise you.

He said: “I’ve nearly finished my Open University degree. When I’ve done that, I’d like to go on Strictly Come Dancing. They have often asked me to do reality TV shows like Big Brother, but unless I can learn something from it, I’m not interested. Having done Dancing on Ice, I can still ice skate – very badly!

“I’d like to get to base camp on Everest and learn how to scuba dive. I like to go walkabout in Australia.

“I’d also like to go in to space, but I don’t think I’ll have the money for that!”

Joe Pasquale will be visiting Kettering on Friday, September 21. To book tickets for the show call 01536 414141 or visit www.lighthousetheatre.co.uk