HE is best known for being a chaser on ITV's The Chase but Paul Sinha will be flexing his comedy muscles as he headline's Nuffield Southampton Theatres’ mini Now-Here festival this week.

Paul, aka "The Sinnerman", told the Daily Echo: "A lot of people know me for The Chase but I've been doing stand up for nearly 20 years so the show will explore a few myths and tell how I got to where I am now, including The Chase, my identity and my former life as a GP...I am a man of many parts."

Born in the UK to Bengali parents and a medical dynasty, the former GP was almost expected to follow family tradition:" There was an element of that. You choose your career path so early; at 15/16 you pick your A levels and not necessarily what's right for you.

"I started gigs in 1995 and wasn't paid for 4/5 years as I was a junior doctor working a 100 hour week. Only when I qualified as a GP could I do comedy professionally."

The comedy was not a release from the stress of being a doctor though:"As a junior comedian you swap one load of stress for another!

"It was a big decision to give up being a GP but it happened over a period of time as I wasn't able to do justice to both jobs. A lot of people think the hardest job in the world is being a comedian but the more you do the better you get."

Asked how he ended up on the Chase he says: "It's all to do with my love of quizzes. In my late 30's I decided I wanted to compete with the best and got better very quickly. By the time I went on the Chase I was in the top 20. It became a real passion and it helped I wasn't working 9-5. A lot of hard work goes into it. These days I get a lot of my information off the internet and focus on things I didn't know. I've always had a love of knowledge and I love the competitive element."

He says he is contracted to The Chase for at least two years and says: "Entertainment is a fragile business but I just love entertaining people."

The Nuffield show on Thursday will, he says, be a mix of old and new comedy and comes as a good stage in his career as he is busy writing for his new show at the Edinburgh Festival.

Southampton Afghan boyband The KabulBoys will also perform at the new three day performance festival which opens today and celebrates the movement and settlement of people in Southampton.

The festival, running today-Thursday, explores Southampton’s diverse and multi-faceted identity through comedy, music, talks, performances, installations and family fun.

Most events are free. Tickets:023 8067 1771 or nstheatres.co.uk