SCIENTIST turned comedian Dave Spikey is putting punchlines under the microscope.

The former biomedical scientist from Bolton - who has been on the stand-up circuit for around 30 years and made his name playing Jerry 'The Saint' Sinclair in Channel 4's 'Phoenix Nights' - is bringing 'Punchlines' to the Theatre Royal this month.

Dave has been touring with Punchlines for almost two years - and he played St Helens at the start so he says it is appropriate to be performing one of the tour's last shows.

"I guess it's come full circle now," Dave told the Star, "And it's a different show now to what it was at the start - I change it between every single show to keep it fresh."

He added: "After every show, I write it all out over again as soon as I've finished - I look at it and think about what worked and what didn't.

"Saying that, I have been asked why I didn't do certain bits again, so sometimes I do put stuff back in!"

The show, he says, challenges the idea that punchlines are not funny the second time around or taken out of context.

He said: "I show the audience some of my punchlines at the start and then see if the punchlines will still make them laugh... it works brilliantly."

He says audiences have loved the tour, adding: "I have just five shows left now - so I'm starting to think about my next tour which starts next March."

When he started to make his name in comedy, Dave left the NHS in 2000 after a 32-year career.

He said: "You need a sense of humour to keep you going if you work in a hospital - you need to break the tension. A lot of comedians -

Jo Brand and Harry Hill - have worked in healthcare.

"At one point I was still doing my day job in a hospital and then going off to support the likes of Eddie Izzard and Jack Dee on tour. When the time was right I took a calculated risk and left the NHS."

Dave says he's a "good mate" of St Helens comic Johnny Vegas, adding he did Johnny's Family Club at The Citadel when he first started out.

He said: "I think there's a shared humour in small northern towns, it differs a bit from town to town and it tends to be inherited. St Helens and Bolton are very similar in this way.

"I met Peter Kay and Neil Fitzmaurice in the late '90s and we had a lot in common - we all shared an interest in working men's clubs, bingo halls, and so Phoenix Nights was born."

Punchlines opens at 7.30pm on Thursday, October 27. Tickets, costing £17.50 with concessions at £16.50, are available via sthelenstheatreroyal.com, by calling 756000 or in person at the box office in Corporation Street.