Julian Clary

But it's hard to believe that Julian Clary's love of dressing up and all things camp wasn't at least partly influenced by his older sister, Frances', career as a tiller girl when he was still a lad.

Julian started his career on the comedy circuit performing under the stage name Gillian Pie-Face, a drag act complete with a wig, caftans and heavy make-up.

He's now celebrating 20 years in show business but he still loves to pile on the make-up and slip into something a little less comfortable.

"When I got to 40-ish I thought, 'I've got to be sensible now and grow up a bit,' so I put away the Lycra and started wearing suits," he says.

"But I just decided for this show that I wanted it to be big, loud and extravagant."

After taking a break from the sequins and lipstick, does Julian feel relieved to be raiding the dressing up box again or is he really more at home schlepping round in jeans?

"I don't have a preference," he says, "they're both me, but I think dressing up is interesting because you can mess around and escape reality."

Julian's new show, Natural Born Mincers, hasn't only given him a chance to dig out his glad rags again.

It's also the first time he's done a national tour for four years, and he's glad to be back.

"I never meant to go away for so long, I've just been busy with other things - pantomime and Taboo (Boy George's stage play)," he says.

"Touring has got a lot of job satisfaction attached to it so if you don't do it for a long time, you start to feel that there's something missing.

"I did other things but it's not the same as doing your own show, where it's your creation, your writing and so on."

But to what extent is Julian still playing a role when he takes to the stage in his stand-up show, even if he is performing as himself rather than Prince Charming?

"This show is very big and extravagant, so I feel that I am playing a part - you know, a camp fantasy brought to life, but it's still an aspect of my personality."

Like many comedians, Julian is witty and outlandish on stage but fairly quiet and reserved in real life.

Perhaps he doesn't like talking to journalists, but in our brief telephone interview, which is frequently and irritatingly interrupted by his mobile phone cutting out, he gives brief, almost snappy answers.

"I'm only funny when I'm paid for it," he says, "it's my job, that's the deal - you turn up and are witty."

Perhaps his churlish behaviour is down to him feeling a little sad to be separated from his beloved pets, Valerie the dog and Gloria the cat, who go to stay with his parents when he's on tour, "having the holiday of a lifetime".

Julian is well known for his attachment to his animals. His dog, Fanny, nicknamed Fanny the Wonderdog, used to appear on stage with him, doing impersonations of such figures as The Pope.

"It just happened really," he says of the introduction of his pet to his stage act.

"I was playing in rooms above pubs where there was no dressing room and she was with me anyway. She just came on stage and sat at the back to start with. Then she started having the audience react to her and she became a part of the act."

Sadly, Fanny passed away several years ago but she is still remembered fondly by fans, who contribute to several internet shrines to the mongrel.

"It's amazing really, because she died four years ago and she retired ten years before that, so it's really touching," he says.

He had hoped that his dog Valerie would follow in Fanny's paw-steps, but, although he tried taking her along to TV studios a couple of times she has shown no aptitude for performing.

"I think if she hasn't revealed any talents by now she's not going to," he says of his beloved pet.

Although Julian's cat and dog stay with his parents when he's on tour, when he moves around to his different homes in London, Brighton and Mallorca they go too.

"Where I go, they go - they're used to travelling. They're fine with it."

"I don't like animals better than humans, they've just always been part of my life," he says.

"I like their company. You get unconditional responses from animals that you don't get from some bloke you met down the pub - obviously it's not quite the same."

Julian Clary will be bringing his Natural Born Mincer show to Salisbury City Hall on April 12. Box office: 01722 327676. He will also be at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth on May 8, box office: 01202 456456 and The Anvil, Basingstoke on May 24, box office: 01256 844244.