Stand-up comedian Tom Allen, whose funny storytelling is as smart as his tailored suits, will be performing at the Villa Marina’s Royal Hall in May. Tom, host of The Apprentice: You’re Fired and a regular on Bake Off: An Extra Slice, is currently touring the British Isles with his new show, Completely, about being grown up.

‘I got to a point when I was still living with my parents,’ he said. ‘And then I thought, actually, I’ve got to be a grown up.

‘And so I finally moved out at the tender age of 38. The title is about finally being completely grown up.’

He added: ‘With stand up shows I like to keep the names quite loose, because I think fundamentally it’s always going to be about experiences that everybody can share, like being a grown up living in my own place and being in a relationship.’

Tom will talk about getting used to having his own home, the stress of buying a mattress and having visitors to stay who have children.

He will also be talking about losing his dad a couple of years ago.

‘I think it’s important to talk about all of life and not be afraid of it,’ he said.

‘That’s the great thing about stand up. If you can laugh at whatever life throws at you, we can laugh together.

‘Hopefully, it gives other people strength if they are able to laugh at the stresses of everyday life and also the loss of a loved one. There is humour everywhere.

‘When my dad died we got lots of death certificates for different things and we’ve got loads left over. I wondered if I should frame one and put it on the wall like a Cycling Proficiency Test certificate.’

Asked what sparked his desire to be a comedian, he said: ‘When I was a small kid I just wanted to make my mum laugh.

‘I realised that I was different and embraced it. I was a funny, eccentric child.’

He said when he started, the stand up scene was quite abrasive and you were expected to be able to dominate the room.

‘I really had to learn how to be me,’ he said. ‘My dad said “be tougher on stage”, but I made a decision that if I do that, I’m not being true to myself.

‘I had to learn to find a way to be strong in your insecurities and not be afraid to be who you are.’

Tom had a long apprenticeship before becoming a household name, gigging for nearly 20 years.

‘My management [Tom is with the company that manages Michael McIntyre, Romesh Ranganathan and other comedy stars]. I never thought they would be interested in me, but they approached me and I was so honoured.

‘They’ve enabled me to do the things I’ve always dreamed of doing like the Comedy Awards.

‘I just want to work hard and do a good job. My dad was a coach driver and he would say things like: “It’s called work, it’s not call fun, you should be working hard”.’

Tom hosted The National Comedy Awards in February, a two-hour live show where anything could happen.

‘With stand up anything can happen and you have to learn to be able to control it,’ he said.

‘My ear piece stopped working and I had to manage without it.

‘Don’t overthink things and just go with the moment.’

So how does the Tom Allen you watch on stage differ from off-duty Tom Allen?

‘Not very much,’ he said. ‘I talk to people all the time and in the same accent.

‘Sometimes their faces drop a bit as if they think they are never going to get rid of me.

‘My parents said I’ve always had a different voice to the rest of my family since I could first talk. I just came out sounding posh.

‘I don’t know where it came from and my parents would joke: “We don’t know where we got him from”.’

The show is on Saturday, May 6, at 8pm. Tickets (£23.50) are available at villagaiety.com, from the booking office on 600555 or from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal.