Jon Richardson brings his Old Man Tour to Birmingham

That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s at the cutting edge of comedy. In his new show, Old Man, Richardson complains about the state of the world and offer no solutions.

The star started touring last year and will bring his show to Birmingham’s Hippodrome tomorrow.

Since his last tour, Jon has become a husband and father, seen the UK vote to leave the EU and watched the rise of Donald Trump. All of which leaves him asking one question, why does it seem that no one else alive can correctly load a dishwasher?

Jon is best known as team captain on 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and has been in demand for television and radio appearances including; Have I Got News For You (BBC 1), Live At The Apollo (BBC 1), Channel 4’s Comedy Gala Live At The 02 and most recently Taskmaster (DAVE). He can also be heard hosting The Warm Up show on talkSPORT with Matt Forde every Saturday.

“It’s quite interesting to tackle these topics,” he explains. “A lot of what we walk about in humour is actually real in life, and it’s a good dose of therapy, I find.

“Anyone who can laugh at the things that are serious in life must surely be in a good place when they come up in front of the light-hearted stuff . . . providing they can find it.”

It’d be a stretch to describe the (soon to be) 35-year-old as a veteran on the current circuit, but over a decade of repeat bookings certainly implies his cheeky yet considered brand of merriment strikes a profound chord to a diverse spread of onlookers, be that fans of 8 out of 10 Cats, The Last Leg, Countdown, Would I Lie To You, Have I Got News For You, or even Loose Women (two appearances in 2011 and 2012, to be precise).

He says: “I think with the way the world is today, there is so much to talk about and no one is short of material. It’s just the way that it’s presented that feels different.

“I’ve taken time to look at my own comedy and have moved out of the phase of self-doubt. I had that for a long time where I was afraid of saying the wrong thing, and that’s something we all go through. These days I almost feel I have too much to say.”

On his present tour, Jon looks at the things that people struggle with in trying times.

“It’s easy to climb back into the shell and pretend it’s not happening,” he says. “I tried that and it doesn’t really work. So these days I’m out of the shell, admitting it’s happening, and moaning about it. See you there.”

Jon enjoys being able to ramble in front of an audience, whether it’s live on stage or as part of his radio broadcasts.

“Gigs have become very cathartic for me, as things are so hectic at home. Gigs are now the equivalent of going to the pub or the cinema.

“Our baby is young so it’s obviously the perfect time for me to be leaving home for several weeks. It has to be said, I’m not terribly popular at home. But I’m assuming that by the time I get back home, my daughter will be toilet-trained, capable of dressing herself and able to drive.”

The star does worry that his daughter will grow up to behave like him: “What I’m dreading is raising her to be like me. If I hear her saying, ‘I can’t eat that chip because it’s touched those baked beans’, I’ll know she got too much of me in her.”

Behind the carapace of low-grade moaning, Jon is, in fact, grateful that he leads the life he does.

“I can’t believe I get to do this job. As I get older, I’ve got more and more to talk about and I have more and more confidence.

“I love the privilege of looking back on my life every three years, turning it into a comedy show and sharing it with an audience.

“It’s incredibly cathartic. It’s a way of converting the difficult elements of life into comedy. None of us know what’s going on at the moment, so to be able to laugh at it in unity for two hours is absolutely great.”

Andy Richardson