No Joe average

When Joe was voted King of the Jungle in 2004's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, the popularity of this comedy genius, who entertained thousands of people each year with his live shows and DVDs, soared off the Richter scale and there has certainly been no looking back since.

In 2005, ITV's An Audience With Joe Pasquale enjoyed the highest ratings recorded for the series, and he can currently be seen hosting the TV gameshow The Price is Right.

In true Pasquale style, The Return of the Love Monkey will provide fun and laughs for all the family and must not be missed.

Q: You're looking very hunky on the cover of the DVD, Joe.
A: Hard to believe I know, but that's not actually me! I have lost weight, but I don't quite have a six-pack yet. I'm only a sex symbol for people who don't care any more.

Q: The Return of the Love Monkey tour is quite special, isn't it?
A: I've been touring for a long time and we wanted to make this one different. There's a magic section where I take a lady member of the audience on a trip where I recreate my first camping experiences. I do a bit of a Rolf Harris where I do a painting upside-down - very much in a Can you guess what it is yet?' kind of way.

The show also features my breakdancing nan! I'll let you in on a secret - she's actually a dancer that my son found for me via his drama school. And, of course, I'm helped out by my trusty twin brother Raynard.

Q: He's got quite a following of his own now, hasn't he?
A: Yes, he's on The Price is Right every day now, and he gets quite a lot of fan mail. I'm not worried about the competition though; some of the letters he gets are a bit strange, and obviously from people who aren't allowed to handle sharp objects.

In reality, though, Raynard is my psychic road manager Ray Tizzard. We've worked together for 11 years, and I adopted him as my brother 10 years ago. We've only had one argument in that time. Mind you, it has lasted for 10 years.

Q: It does seem that you're the busiest man in showbusiness - do you ever stop working?
A: It doesn't seem like it, does it? I know I'm busy, but that's because I enjoy it all so much. The Price is Right has been such a hit that they've commissioned 30 one-hour specials and a Christmas show. I've just agreed to voice a new BBC cartoon called Frankenstein's Cat, and there are other things in the pipeline. I wrote the musical of the '70s kids' TV show Rentaghost, and that was successfully touring this year, and I'm in negotiations to buy the rights of another show like that - it's all top-secret at the moment!

I have been in discussions to take on the role of Leo Bloom in the touring production of the West End musical The Producers, which may happen next year. I saw the show in London with Nathan Lane and Lee Evans, and I thought it was so good that I was crying with laughter.

We're talking about a number of TV projects including another Audience With... which will be great, but a lot to live up to, as the first one I did got record ratings.

Q: Your life really has gone crazy since you won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2004.
A: Yes, it's opened up a lot of doors. I wanted to do it because I could see that the world of showbiz was changing, and I wanted to keep up with it. Everything has its day. I recently watched The Story of Light Entertainment on BBC2 and seeing some of the people on it was a reminder of how fickle showbusiness can be and how you have to keep one step ahead. But even before Celebrity, I was always making my own projects, touring and other stuff, and it's very satisfying.

I've appeared in plays like Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Nerd and Tom and Dick and Harry with my mate Bradley Walsh. We've been working together since we were teenagers on the talent show circuit. He used to be a ventriloquist and had a dummy that looked like Prince Charles. Brad and I did Combined Services Entertainment tours all over the world, which was a great experience.

Q: Are you looking forward to The Return of the Love Monkey tour?
A: Oh yeah! Even after touring for years, I really love it, as every night is different and it's a lot of fun. It was great filming the DVD in Southend, as it was a bit of a homecoming for me, being an Essex boy. The audience was great, and working with an audience on a stage show like mine really keeps you on your toes - bring on the next 47 gigs!

• Joe Pasquale's The Return of the Love Monkey runs at The Anvil on Tuesday, November 21, at 7.30pm. Tickets, priced £17.50, are available from the box office on 01256 844244, The Anvil website www.theanvil.org.uk or the ticket fax on 01256 366900.