COMEDY legend Griff Rhys Jones returns to Merseyside for an appearance at the Liverpool Playhouse on April 30. We caught up with the star of Not the Nine O’Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones who shared memories of previous visits to the region.

“I appeared at the Liverpool Empire with dear old Mel Smith in the 1980s,” recalls Griff. “Back then the only comedy acts touring seemed to be us and Billy Connolly.

An interviewer in Liverpool couldn’t believe we were playing the Empire all on our own. He asked, ‘Have you got an orchestra? Have you got dancers?’ And of course the show was just the two of us. The interviewer informed us solemnly, ‘You do realise you’re playing the biggest theatre in Britain?’ Suddenly we were terrified. I ran to our promoter and said, ‘You’ve booked us into the second biggest theatre in the country!’ And he said, ‘Don’t worry. You’re playing the biggest theatre in the country as well.’”

“But Mel and I loved coming to Merseyside because we always felt southern audiences could be a little blasé compared to up here where people are always up for a great time.”

Since the death of comedy partner Mel in 2013, Griff’s TV travels have taken him across Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he starred as Fagin in the West End production of Oliver! and since 2017 he has turned to stand-up telling stories from his incredible fund of hilarious but true tales. His latest show is titled The Cat’s Pyjamas and covers an astonishingly diverse range of subjects.

“Every night of this show,” says Griff, “is different. I put up a selection of stories from which audience members can choose. I may tell some stories about my previous visits to Liverpool. I might talk about the Australian sudden death adder. Or I might talk about my real life stalker who used to write to Mel Smith asking him to give a signal if he wanted to get rid of me!”

One past trip to Wirral however particularly sticks in Griff’s memory.

“15 years ago I came to Seacombe ferry for my BBC series Rivers and attempted to swim across to Liverpool. Dave Sandman who had been working for years to clear the river up wanted me to swim the Mersey to show how clean it was. We plunged into this dark brown water and we might have made it but halfway across, a tanker appeared.

"And do you know?” adds Griff with a sly twinkle. ”It cost me a fortune to hire that tanker for the day!”

Griff Rhys Jones The Cat’s Pyjamas is at the Liverpool Playhouse 7.30pm Tuesday, April 30.