Don't get me wrong, he's had a whale of a time becoming one of the most popular faces in TV comedy and producing critically acclaimed hits in three different genres, the sitcom 15 Storeys High, the panel game 8 Out of 10 Cats and the clip show TV Heaven, Telly Hell. And yet, all that while he has been missing his first love, live comedy.

Now Sean's stand-up show is back, and he couldn't be happier about it. It arrives on Saturday at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax, tomorrow, just one stop in a nationwide tour. And he just can't wait.

"It is brilliant to be returning to stand-up. It's been a long time since I've done a tour. Creating the new show has been great fun," he says, crackling with enthusiasm.

"Live comedy gives you a unique thrill. Nothing else can match it. People have come out specifically to see you.

"You're the entertainment for the evening and that's quite a rush."

All in all, it is an absolute treat to see Sean back where he belongs – in front of a live audience.

But don't just take my word for it, he has the awards and accolades to prove it. He won the British Comedy Award for best stand-up in 2000, the Time Out Award for Comedy in 1995 and was nominated for a Perrier Award in 2000.

So what will he be entertaining us with in his show? One of his principal themes will be his deep unhappiness with the recently introduced smoking ban in English pubs.

"I'm not a heavy smoker, but I'm furious about it," the comic fumes. "It's a power that a Government simply should not have. They treat everyone like kids.

"I hate the fact that this is yet another terrible thing we've inherited from America."

He will also be giving us the benefit of his thoughts on green issues and a lament on his lack of hobbies.

"It worries me that I don't have any idle pursuits. Maybe I'll try water-skiing. People who do that are always waving and grinning, so it must be fun."

This is the sort of delightfully daft stuff that Sean comes out with all the time. A warm and welcoming comedian, he is like your funniest mate from down pub.

There is only one thing concerning Sean and that is how to unwind when he comes off stage.

"I used to drink a lot after a show, but I'm too old for that now and I suffer too much the next morning. I'd be quite satisfied now if I could just have a cigarette by the fire exit, blowing the smoke out of the door."

With one final, winning laugh, Sean concludes: "that's as wild as it gets for me these days!"

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