COMING from virtually anyone else the phrase ‘my job is to be a guardian angel of unconditional love’ would come across as simply pretentious.

But when Noel Fitzpatrick says it, it seems to be the most natural thing in the world

Noel - best known as TV’s Supervet - is currently on tour with a new show which comes to Blackpool Grand Theatre tomorrow night.

TV viewers have watched in awe as he performs pioneering procedures to help animals brought into his surgery. But even in those programmes it is his humanity which shines through.

Now, as he hits the road, Noel is very much a man on a mission.

“There are four key elements I want to get across in the show,” he said. “The first is 13 things animals have taught me that can make us all better even in our darkest moments.

“Number two is connection. We yearn for connection as human beings and I want to bring out the connection we all have together and with animals.

’The third thing is love. Love for the animals but also for each other and for the planet.

“And finally, I want to bring my books to life.

“So that’s a 14 hour show in total,” he laughed. “I’ll be condensing it all down into into a narrative arc which will have funny bits, maybe some sad bits and definitely a few surprise bits. Let’s put it this way, you certainly won’t have time to get bored.”

Noel is someone you could never see being bored. He’s a fascinating, complex character with a lively mind constantly sparking new ideas. Our chat wanders from the central point of the show to Artificial Intelligence, being inspired by Freddie Mercury and his almost selfless approach to helping others; not to mention some fairly strong views on the medical profession.

“We need to unlock the mysticism of medicine,” he said. “We need to unlock it and make it accessible for people - they deserve that.”

There’s a seemingly inherent contradiction to Noel. On one hand he is at the cutting edge of technology, carrying our ground-breaking surgery on animals and capable of conversing with leading figures in science and yet there’s still something of the little boy who grew up on a farm in County Laois in Ireland.

“Everybody is vulnerable and everybody is raw,” he said. “I intensely feel my inadequacy every day just as I did when I was 10 and lost my first lamb in field in Ireland.

“I don’t ever forget that and I don’t ever forget the child or adult in audience that is feeling that. It is really important for people in the public eye to admit their vulnerability - it’s not all Tik Tok and glossy.

“You have to believe you are going to win when go to the operating theatre or entertaining people when you go on tour but fundamentally if you are not raw or truthful, there really isn’t any point. I love treading that tightrope because in there is the magic.”

Given his status in the veterinary world and and that he’s got audiences in the palm of his hand every night on tour you could forgive Noel for having some kind of ego.

“I don’t like ego,” he states matter-of-factly. “Ego, money and power corrupt the essence of the artist. I don’t see myself as a scientist.”

You suspect that in a different universe, Noel would love to be a rock star.

“I’m a massive music nerd,” he admits. “That’s what is great about this show, we have a few really cool surprises. That little child inside of me who wants medicine to be as sexy as music is rejoicing the fact that we’ve put lot of music in show. So there will be Led Zeppelin, U2 and even Inhaler in there.”

The show will also feature a very special Genesis moment which will hopefully pacify members of the band.

“I went on Desert Island Discs which for someone who loves music as much as I do was almost impossible,” said Noel. “You only get eight tracks so how do you choose between the Stones, Genesis and Deep Purple?

“In the end I chose the Stones but then I went to a Genesis show and Tony Banks tapped me on the shoulder saying ‘I’ve got a bone to pick with you’.

“He said, ‘people go on Desert Island Discs and never choose Genesis and you, the biggest Genesis fan we know goes on and we still don’t get a mention’.”

As someone who often. literally, has the power of life and death in his hands, Noel remains very grounded.

“You must hang your ego on the peg when you take your trousers off and put your scrubs on,” he said. “That’s the first thing to do.

“If you go into theatre thinking you are the man you will fail because your ego is bigger than your prowess.

“There is this thing about putting people on a pedestal but I believe that prevents them from feeling love.

“Is a surgeon supposed to love their patient? I believe the answer to that is yes but in the scientific world they would say you should not become emotionally involved.

“But if you can’t connect on a basic level of humanity that is love, then why are you doing it? To me, divesting your ego and transmitting your love is the only way to go.”

Noel even adopts this approach to his stage shows.

“I always worry am I going to be good enough?” he admitted. “It’s the same worry as I have going into surgery, it’s the little boy inside me who never feels good enough

“Backstage, I lie on the floor before each show and think ‘how can I best serve these people and give them love, hope and joy’.

“I always think ‘is anyone actually going to come to the show?’. I have no sense of entitlement. I’m just a kid from a bog in Ireland. I feel blessed being allowed to do this.”

Noel Fitzpatrick - Beyond Supervet, Grand Theatre Blackpool, Saturday, November 11. Details from www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk