HE is one of the most popular comedians on TV and now Paddy McGuinness has announced he is to head out on the road for the first time in four years.

His new one-man show Daddy McGuinness will see the Bolton-born Take Me Out star talking about the most important role of his life — that of father to twins Leo and Penelope.

"If you come to the show and you haven't got kids it'll either leave you wanting them immediately or booking in for a vasectomy," he laughed.

The twins are now 18-months-old and Paddy is clearly a devoted dad.

"They are smashing," he said. "They are both doing really well and we love them to bits.

"The show won't just be about the kids but I have never done a stand-up tour before as a dad so I think it might be like a form of therapy for me.

"It's funny when you have kids, they tend to take over your lives. You start to tell other people everything they've done and other parents will look at you and say yes, that what's they do, that's what happens.

"I think the new tour might bring a whole new audience to the shows but that doesn't mean that the fans who have supported me from the start will be left out.

"I have got all my ideas for the show down, I just need to take some time to work on them and knit them all together into a show."

The tour kicks off in September and will see Paddy playing theatres and venues across the country including King Georges Hall in Blackburn on November 1 and The Lowry, Salford Quays, on February 24 and 25.

Paddy said: "I might also be popping up at comedy clubs unannounced and just doing a five minute slot here and there to try out some material."

In the past Paddy has had sold out arena tours around the UK but for Daddy McGuinness he is happy to be heading back to slightly smaller theatre-style venues.

"When you drive up to an arena and see the trucks parked outside you suddenly realise 'I'm paying for all this,'" he laughed.

"But I love the intimacy of a theatre, I want that connection to an audience."

With his young family Paddy could be forgiven for avoiding a major tour which runs until February next year but it is something he is taking in his stride.

"We've arranged the dates so that I can be home as much as possible," he said. "I don't look on this as being a major tour, I think I did well over 100 nights on my last one."

With ITV's Take Me Out being such a massive Saturday night hit and other television commitments, Paddy has not been on the live circuit for a while so is he nervous about the tour?

"You always get nervous," he said. "If you didn't I think you might as well give up as you need that adrenalin.

"Even in the middle of a tour when you are confident with the material there is still that nervous feeling before you go on – it can be quite stressful.

"But it's a lovely feeling when you get on that stage.

"The worst part of a tour is the travelling but once you get to the venue it's fine."

Audiences around the UK have warmed to Paddy's own brand of cheeky humour.

Paddy, who worked at Horwich Leisure Centre for seven years, said: "I think audiences can see that I'm genuine. I have always had that working class mentality of working hard for a living and I have that in common with a lot of my audience.

"When I was at school I had a Saturday job and I have always worked hard. In my time I've done all sorts of jobs. I know what's it is like to get up at 6.30 and go out for shift and I think I can relate to most people."

Paddy has just completed a series of sold out live charity shows based on the hit TV series Phoenix Nights at Manchester Arena — the show which gave him his big break.

He said: "You know I said I always get nervous. Well this has been the one show where I wasn't nervous at all. It was just so great to see the whole crew again — it really was like we'd never been away.

"You didn't get nervous because you felt you were part of something much bigger."