FANS of comedian Dave Spikey are counting down to the opening night of his 30th anniversary tour - Juggling on a Motorbike - at the Old Laundry, Bowness.

The Lancashire comic will be looking back on his life and career from working-class lad to NHS biomedical scientist to much-loved star of Phoenix Nights and 8 Out of 10 Cats when his tour opens on Friday, March 10.

"I was never much of a joker but always found that if a funny situation cropped up I was always first in there with a line," said Dave. "People said that I should try stand-up but I didn't have the bottle."

The 65-year-old took his first steps into comedy with the Bolton hospital revue society panto and went on to win national talent show Stairway to the Stars. The late Larry Grayson, one of the judges, told Dave that his routine about a juggler on a motorbike clinched the title.

Thirteen years later, in October 2000, he switched off his microscope for the last time in the haematology lab and embarked on his comedy career, with Phoenix Nights' Jerry St Clair his first professional acting role.

"I had to audition for the part of Jerry because I had no acting experience but I was happy to do that because I wanted to prove to them, and me, that I could do it," recalled Dave.

"I had a head start, obviously, because I really knew Jerry, having had a major hand creating and writing the character - much of his story was based on me, especially his hypochondria - but I'm so glad I got it. I love Jerry, he's a gem. He changed my life."

Dave, a painter and decorator's son, says his 30th anniversary tour will tell the story of his three decades in comedy, from his first show in 1987. Audiences can expect tales of his working-class childhood, the "great influence" his parents and grandparents had on him, and his meeting with Peter Kay, his co-writer on Phoenix Nights.

"I am really fortunate and proud in a way that I seem to attract a fantastically diverse audience from teens to senior citizens. Some will be fans of Phoenix Nights and other stuff I've written and appeared in, some will be fans of 8 Out of 10 Cats and Bullseye and others, generally the older generation, may have seen me on Countdown or Loose Women or Titchmarsh or the various panel shows I do. It's a great mix which has helped me grow as a comedian."

- Old Laundry, Bowness, March 10, www.oldlaundrytheatre.co.uk.

- Workington's Carnegie Theatre, September 29, www.carnegietheatre.co.uk