CLOSET Status Quo fan and reluctant game show host Jasper Carrott is bringing a unique combination of music and humour to Dorset this Spring.

He tells Joanna Davis what an audience can expect from his Weymouth show.

WHEN you think of famous Brummies Jasper Carrott has to be one of the first who springs to mind.

Named Midlander of the Year and an avid supporter of Birmingham City Football Club, Jasper, who has just turned 70, has all the qualities you would associate with people from the region.

He's self-deprecating, polite, friendly and full of wry humour.

And despite 46 years in the industry and a stake in Who Wants to be a Millionaire makers Celador that has earned him millions, Jasper is back on the road quite simply because he loves it.

The comedian, who is perhaps best known for TV comedy The Detectives and in more recent times quiz show Golden Balls, was once known as Robert Davis.

Not only do we bond over surnames but the fact that when Jasper arrives in Weymouth, it should be a home from home for him.

He said: "It is a bit of a satellite town of Birmingham isn't it?

"A lot of people from the West Midlands end up down there.

"I don't know Dorset that well but I have some friends who live in Charmouth and I have walked along those beautiful Jurassic Coast beaches.

"I used to perform at a couple of folk clubs in the 1970s, there was one at Weymouth, Dorchester and another at Bridport.

"I'm so pleased to hear that the Weymouth Pavilion is doing so well now it's been handed over to the community."

Jasper's touring show Stand Up and Rock will see him performing stand-up comedy intermingled with musical acts.

The musicians are a selection of Jasper's friends, including Beverly 'Bev' Bevan, one of the original members of The Move and ELO. Jasper has known him for nearly 60 years.

Jasper said: "Combining music with comedy is something I have been involved with for a while.

"I did irregular charity shows called Jasper Carrott's Christmas Concert. We sold out the NEC and no-one knew who was coming.

"I would go out and find people who would work for free. We'd get people like Chris de Burgh and Roger Daltry.

"It was a real mix of music and comedy.

"We took the Stand Up and Rock show out last year and we had an incredible reaction, we did 55 shows and we had so much fun. We're doing another 60 shows this year.

"I'll be honest, we had a more mature audience, music from the 1970s and 1980s and jokes from the 1950s!"

At this point, I hear Jasper's mobile phone ringing in the background.

Thinking 'man in demand', I expect he's about to defer our interview while he deals with a more pressing matter. But, he tells me, he set an alarm so he would remember to call me.

Note to self, add 'thoughtful' to those Midlander traits.

Back on track Jasper tells me: "We got a standing ovation with Stand Up and Rock every night, it's a relative 100 per cent standing ovation, if 100 per cent of the audience could stand!"

The action on stage is complemented by some personalised visuals Jasper tells me.

"We've got some videos of things that we're singing about.

"We're showing Weymouth in the 1950s and the background changes accordingly.

"We have such a good time and it's pretty obvious we are up there enjoying ourselves. "That comes across to the audience."

There's even a chance for Jasper to showcase his singing.

"I'm a closet Status Quo fan. I do a couple of their numbers," he says.

Jasper has no specific plans to be back on television, despite The Detectives, a police drama spoof he starred in alongside Robert Powell, being a huge hit.

He said: "I became very close with Robert. He does a lot of theatre now and is very busy.

"I've only seen him twice in the last two years.

"He did a play called Black Coffee and I went along to see him. He was brilliant.

"What a lot of people don't realise is that he's one of our most under-rated actors. He's excellent."

The only reason he fell into becoming a quiz show host, as quizmaster for ITV's Golden Balls, was because of the large pay cheque on offer, Jasper said.

"I did a pilot for it and they came back to me and said 'would I like to do the show properly'.

"I came back to them and said 'I'm a stand-up comedian I'm not sure I want to do this.

"They showed me a figure and I turned round and said to them: 'Is that in lira?!'

"I did about 300 shows of it but it wasn't really what I wanted to do. It was good while it lasted."

Quiz shows have played a big part in Jasper's more recent career.

Selling shares in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? makers Celador has made him millions.

Which means that this down-to-earth Brummie - the type who sets alarms to remind him to ring local newspaper journalists - can pick and choose exactly what he wants to do.

"I'm not really a practical person. I've been asked to do Strictly Come Dancing, all of that. But I have to enjoy what I do.

"I've got six grandchildren and family life is really what I'm all about.

"I've been married for 43 years and have four children and I've got lots of very close personal friends whom I've known for a long time.

"Life is good. There are lots of ups and downs but luckily the down days are pretty rare. "I prefer a life that's like that."

*JASPER Carrott Stand Up and Rock is at Weymouth Pavilion on Friday May 15. Contact the venue for tickets.