Paddy's new show Paddy McGuinness Plus You Live! rolls into Halifax next week, with Blackpool-based comedian Andy Watson aiming to warm up the packed house and make a big name for himself on the tour.

Artists were invited to send in DVDs of their acts and hundreds were viewed by Paddy. "I didn't trust anyone else to do it so I have only myself to blame if it goes wrong," he says.

Paddy, 35, has been starring in a TV series on Five called Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure, in which he and funnyman Rory McGrath toured the country in a classic VW split-windscreen camper van in search of strange sporting events, including river football, pie-eating and shin kicking.

He is also the face of bakery chain Greggs and can currently be seen devouring pasties on TV advertisements.

Paddy McGuinness's last tour The Dark Side achieved 115 sold-out dates, selling more than 160,000 tickets. His following live debut DVD entered the comedy charts at No 1 and has sold more than 250,000 copies.

From his first television appearances on C4's The Comedy Lab, to his role on Phoenix Nights and the spin-off to Phoenix Nights; Max and Paddy's The Road To Nowhere, Paddy McGuinness is now a household name on the comedy scene appearing on numerous shows from 8 Out of 10 Cats to Law of the Playground.

His irreverent brand of humour will be performed live at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax on Wednesday (8pm).

The show has virtually sold out and just a handful of single tickets are left (£18.50 and £16.50) from the theatre box office, tel: 01422 351158.