SWINDON’S own (well, near enough) Julian Clary will return to his home away from home this year to celebrate surviving 30 cut-throat years as a camp comedian with a new show, The Joy of Mincing.

He has a lot to get off his chest, what with the ups and downs of his sordid love life, the true and heart-stopping account of how he saved Dame Joan Collins’s life...and don’t start him on the perils of his DIY electrical home enema kit.

He will proudly sport his well-deserved MBE (Mincer of the British Empire) on the Wyvern stage. It was the last thing he expected to receive when he knelt down in front of Prince Charles in the scullery at Buckingham Palace… And because Julian gives and gives, he will be handing out honours to a lucky few in the audience too.

The entertainer, author, TV and radio personality, pantomime star and all around national treasure became a household name in the late 1980s.

The comedian, whose parents live in Swindon, has since boasted a colourful career.

He has appeared on numerous popular TV shows including Celebrity Big Brother (which he won), Strictly Come Dancing, This Morning, QI, and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute.

He hosted Nature Nuts, a natural history series for ITV, and has starred in West End productions of Taboo and Cabaret.

And he appears in panto most years – he loves wearing silly clothes and lots of make-up.

Julian, who leads a quiet-ish country existence with his partner, dogs and several ducks and chickens in Kent, also narrated the Little Princess children’s television series.

He published his first children’s book, The Bolds, last summer.

The Joy of Mincing is his latest masterclass in camp comedy. This is Julian at his filthy best, live and unplugged.

Julian Clary will come to the Wyvern Theatre on May 19. Tickets are £24. To book call 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk.

— MARION SAUVEBOIS