MILES Jupp started performing stand-up comedy in 2000, winning awards immediately.

On television, he works as a comedian and panellist appearing in such shows as Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Room 101.

As an actor, he costars in the Baftawinning BBC2 sitcom Rev and is also known for The Thick of It, Gary: Tank Commander and Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.

He can be seen in Made in Dagenham, Johnny English: Reborn and Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love, as well as The Monuments Men directed by George Clooney, The Last Sparks of Sundown and Jon Stewart’s directorial debut Rosewater.

After making his National Theatre debut, appearing in Sir Nicholas Hytner’s production of Alan Bennett’s People, Miles is back on the road and ends his tour in Southampton later this month.

LORELEI REDDIN spoke to him ahead of the date: You’re making a return to standup after a break for acting, TV and writing. Is this your first love?

“Not necessarily. It was the first thing I did in comedy and I suppose it was the first thing to put money in my hand. I started doing stand-up when I was 20 at uni and have done it off and on ever since. Before this tour, I hadn’t done any for about three years, it’s reminded me that I love the storytelling element and I was actually itching to do it again.”

Do you still suffer with nerves?

“I spent my 20s just feeling nervous! I thought it would improve with age, but I’ve ended up doing something even more nerve-racking. I love acting and it’s so exciting, but it’s even worse! I’ve done three proper plays now and I find the theatre work the most rewarding.

I really like being on stage in front of an audience and I particularly like other people being there with me.

“But I can’t control the nerves and they don’t necessarily manifest themselves when you would expect. When we did NT Live, when the National is beamed to cinemas, I was really looking forward to it and then the nerves hit me. With standup there is an element of pressure, but it goes away once you’re actually doing it.”

What can we expect from the show?

“The first half is more domestic and the second half I talk about being that sort of lowlevel celebrity that people recognise but have no idea why.

There’s Twitter politics and a story about an accident a friend of mine had in Leicester.

“There’s lots about my children and homelife and relationships – how I’m covered in spag bol at 6pm and expected to make a room full of accountants laugh at 8.30pm.”

How do you deal with hecklers?

“You sort of have to go along with it really. I don’t encourage it, but it can be good fun. It’s worse at the weekend for city centre shows. What annoys me about it is having to repeat yourself for someone 25 rows back, the whole tedious mechanics of it all.

“The whole thing is done on instinct and you don’t really know you’re doing it.”

How often are you recognised?

“Surprisingly often, but it’s only ever people who think they know you. I was in a pub garden in Bridport with an Irish comic and people just couldn’t stop asking us who we were.

“I think I’ve just got that sort of face that people wonder about when I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame, but it never goes any further. If they work it out, they’re generally nice, with some mild animosity occasionally.”

Who or what makes you laugh?

“I laugh a lot when watching Stewart Lee. Frankie Boyle makes me hysterical. Jeremy Hardy, Mark Steel, Sandi Toksvig. Modern Family, that’s really funny. I’ve just watched Veep, an HBO comedy and would thoroughly recommend the series. I really love that, it’s fantastic.”