KATHERINE MACALISTER quizzes TV and stand-up star Lee Mack on his very down-to-earth approach to comedy.

Lee Mack is back – and as unapologetic as ever. Because he’s the first to point out that while he’s not trendy or cutting edge, he just wants to make people laugh.

And that’s exactly what the 40-year-old is doing, all over the country, and on Saturday it’s your turn, because he’s arriving at Oxford’s New Theatre for a spot of stand-up.

And while Lee could easily opt for the stadium tour, he doesn’t want to get out of touch, or out of reach, of his audience. “It’s the latest vogue,” he says. “I could have done a night at the O2 in London, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m not being big-headed, but there’s no intimacy. I was on the bill at the Christmas show at the NEC in Birmingham, which holds 12,000 people.

“It was great for 15 minutes, but I couldn’t chat to the audience. You can’t ask someone in the front row, ‘what do you do for a living?’ and then shout out to everyone, ’he’s a butcher’. For me, it’s just the wrong vibe for comedy.”

“Besides, I don‘t think it’s good to have people watching you on a giant TV screen when they’ve paid to see you live. They’ve come to a live show and they want to experience that.”

So live it is then with his latest tour Going Out. So what’s it about?

“My show’s not about anything,” Lee laughs. “It’s not meant to be thought-provoking. It’s just meant to be a laugh. So I never have fixed subjects that I discuss on stage.”

Lee, real name Lee Gordon McKillop, who lives with his wife Tara and children, Arlo and Louie, also writes and stars in the immensely popular BBC1 sitcom, Not Going Out.

But whatever he writes, he always bears one thing in mind: “The best comedy you can ever have is when you’re in the pub with your mates. You can never beat that. That’s what I try to recreate in stand-up.”

Which might explain why he never sets out to lecture, merely to entertain.

Lee’s down-to-earth nature could easily be explained by his upbringing.

Both his dad and great-grandad were amateur comedians and Lee was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, above a pub.

He took a while to find his true vocation though, working in a bingo hall, as a stableboy, and a blue coat at Pontin’s, before risking his first open mic slot in 1994 while studying at Brunel University, and within 18 months was a full time comedian.

He took a show to Edinburgh Fringe; it was nominated for a Perrier.

He co-starred in ITV’s The Sketch Show. He hosted the final series of They Think It’s All Over. He’s a team captain on the BBC panel show Would I Lie To You and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2 The Lee Mack Show.

But back to Saturday night. What’s the secret to being a good stand-up?

“One, people say that in a time of recession, people want to laugh more – hence the recent explosion of comedy.

“There’s a lot of truth in that. If everyone is depressed, they just want to forget about their problems and lose themselves in escapist comedy.

“And two, most of the comedians of yesteryear were uncool and fat and ugly and didn’t appeal to kids. They were the opposite of rock’n’roll, but they were really funny and they were around forever.”

Les Dawson eat your heart out. Lee Mack is here to stay!

Lee Mack’s Saturday gig has now sold out but tickets are still available for the May 14 show. Call the box office on 0844 847 1585 or see newtheatre oxford.org.uk