As he launched his latest DVD, he once again spared me some time for a natter.

I caught your latest tour, and watched your new DVD, too.

Theres a bit of that, yeah.

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You talk about it in the commentary to the disc too.

It doesnt come across as a natural insecurity…

… well, maybe there is a bit!

You just seem to use it as a tool to power yourself with?

You made a point in your DVD, too, that you light the audience here.

That theyre not kept in darkness for the gig.

How much does that change their reactions?

But I wonder whether its a good idea in terms of making the audience feel more comfortable.

I dont really do a quick head count!

I will doJoke-O-Motiveif somebody wants it.

But how hard is it to go back?

It is quite hard.

Itll take me a while to write another hour of something anyway.

I basically had May, June and July where I wasnt doingJoke-O-Motive, and we put thePunslingerrecording for July.

So, around about June, I basically went through it every day.

But if you asked me to do theJoke-O-Motiveright now I couldnt do it.

I could probably get most of it.

I could get the jokes out if someone said to me, Whats the farmer joke?

But some of the links?!

Its clumps of jokes you tend to remember?

Yeah, kind of.

Ive spoken to a few stand-ups in the past who hint at what thats like.

Where jokes dont work.

And 15 nights in a row…

He comes and tries his stuff at that place in Kingston too.

And I said to him, Do you know what I really enjoy?

And all the crossing out and ticking things, there is a real joy to that.

I enjoy the whole self-deprecating thing in that scenario.

I like the fact that I start a joke on a postcard, and just stop.

Theyre kind of laughing at the shambles of it.

Yet, youve said in the past that if you could, youd tour all the time.

That its the writing that holds you back.

It is the thing that takes the most effort and time.

But if that is what Ive said, Id say Ive probably changed a little in that time.

Because, although I love the touring, I think particularly the last tour I did get quite tired.

Ive never really got tired before on a tour, but maybe its because Im 43 now.

It is quite a physical show, though?

I found that sometimes doing a lot of gigs in a row…

I dont know how Ken Dodd has the energy to do it all the time…!

If someone asks you to doTotal Wipeout, it’s possible for you to go and do it.

Those sort of things.

Your head always comes across as bubbling with ideas.

Thats the moment where you have the most financial security.

And you have a bracket of a number of months to try stuff before you go back out.

WithJoke-O-Motiveit worked out really nicely where I had a few months where I really wasnt doing anything very much.

And thats the way I like to do tours, if I possibly could.

But, by and large, its a mixture of stuff throughout the year.

Touring is very intensive, but thats only a couple of months anyway.

Thats a straight studio block, presumably.

Weve just done the fourth series.

So, that was six weeks in total.

I am constantly like a broken record about saying this.

I think the strength ofNot Going Outis from the foundation of the writing.

Lee is intelligent enough to know that the writing is where it starts.

Its three weeks solid, writing an episode.

And then trying things out.

Moving back to you, I love your new joke book.

And this joke book feels like you getting the benefit of that for a change?

Someone just asked me if Id do it.

And initially I thought, Mmm, I dont want to.

But then I thought it was quite nice to.

I think its one of the best things that Ive done, actually.

When I first got it, I thought, This is great.

I have made a point of not having any jokes fromPunslingerorJoke-O-Motivein there.

The most recent tours arent there.

Stuff that hasnt been on DVD.

Its interesting seeing your jokes down on paper.

Whereas in the joke book, you have to explain what Tunes [as in the sweet] are!

[Laughs] There are a couple of moments like that, actually.

There was talk of me doing a running commentary.

I wasnt expecting too much from it, but why choose to do it in the first place?

Well, I did a commentary on my first DVD.

I didnt do it on the middle one.

With the first one, it was a bit more frantic.

You were quite technical here?

I hadnt planned it at all.

I hadnt planned what to say.

I just thought Ill talk as things come up.

And they said that they found the first commentary fascinating.

The temptation must be, though, to layer more jokes over the existing ones?

Well, it was partly because I couldnt think of any more!

And it was a drugs-related joke, if memory serves?

And they said it was mild sex references.

And I think they say that on the box.

Presumably they have to pinpoint the joke?

They mentioned what they are.

There was the one where I went, My favourite subject at school was PE.

I loved jumping up and down in my Y-fronts.

Oh, hang on, that was geography, and hes in prison now.

Thats what gets you a PG?

The other one was I went to this girls house, and shes got an eight foot light switch.

Apparently, thats a sexual reference.

Last question: what are you up to next?

The main thing Im doing now is panto at Richmond.

So, that takes me to January, and then more touring!

Tim Vine, thank you very much!