It's been five years since Noel Fielding last took to the stand-up stage. In that time, he became a huge star as one half of The Mighty Boosh, attracted more Camden street cred as the surreal team captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and then non-plussed a section of his fans with his off-the-wall E4 series Luxury Comedy.
The latter has just returned for a second series in a slightly more toned-down, slightly less flamboyant form, which he says will prove more accessible to a wider TV audience.
But he won't be preaching to the unconverted when he arrives at Hull City Hall with his new live show, An Evening With...later this month.
The venue will no doubt be packed with devoted followers. No missionary work needed here – just pure unfettered glam rock extravagance.
And, after all those years pandering to a TV audience, the 41-year-old Peter Pan of comedy is looking forward to feeling that live buzz again.
"The problem with TV is that it takes years to make, and after a while you can't remember what it's like to tell a joke and get a laugh from it," he says.
"The great thing about live comedy is that it cuts out the middle men – all those TV producers and directors. It takes out everything that gets in the way, so it's just you and the audience. It's a really pure set-up.
"As a stand-up, you spend all day being nervous. But as soon as you step onto the stage and get the first laugh, it's magic time. It's like being in a dream. It's a real buzz."
Fielding knows that he is an acquired taste, but says that even those who are wary of his outlandish humour are often won over when they see him live.
"Some people might think they're allergic to you, but if they come to a live show and see everyone is laughing, it's hard to say that it's not funny. It was the same with the Boosh. Sceptics were convinced when they came to our shows."
The comedian, who will be joined on stage in by his brother Michael Fielding (best known as Naboo and Smooth from The Mighty Boosh) and Tom Meeten (who plays Andy Warhol in Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy), says the new show won't be a standard stand-up show.
"The first half is set in a cabaret club," he says.
"Then I get kidnapped from my own show, and in the second half the rest of the characters have to find me. I'll be playing other characters during the second half. It becomes like a play. It's a sort of farce."
The show promises a typically uplifting variety of disparate elements. "That's why I've called it 'An Evening with Noel Fielding', because it's not something I'd usually do," he says. "It's more like something Barry Humphries would do."
"It's so abstract. It's like you turn the radio dial, and something random comes on. You're not quite sure what it is, but you warm to it."Noel FieldingWhen: Thursday, October 23, 8pmWhere: Hull City Hall, Victoria Square, HullCall: 01482 300300Entry:£25Web: www.hullcc.gov/uk
