Familiar to many as the long-suffering compere in Channel 4's brilliant comedy Phoenix Nights, Dave Spikey, who co-writes the series with Bolton comedian Peter Kay, is no newcomer to the comedy scene, with a decade of stand-up experience under his belt.

NICOLA MOSTYN caught a few minutes with the comedian, who is headlining at The Comedy Store this weekend, and got the lowdown on Phoenix Nights, northern humour and how he turned down Liam Gallagher.

So, Dave, what's going on at the moment?

"We have just finished filming the second series and it's all gone really well. " says Spikey.

"Peter directed it, and, again, plays two parts in it, and I play Jerry St Clair.

"We are a bit disappointed, really," he adds, "because they're not going to show it until September time, which will be almost a year after we filmed it."

So you're still enjoying playing Jerry?

"Oh yeah, it's a dream part. I had to audition for it, you know, I didn't just get it because I wrote it."

But did you write it with you in mind?

"No, we didn't." he insists. "It was only half way through writing it that Peter (right) said 'you should do that.' And I wasn't sure because I'd never acted before. But I love playing Jerry.

"In this series he gets the nasty end of the stick every week," he adds, with obvious glee.

A Bolton boy, now living in Chorley, do your roots influence your comedy?

"My act is very northern, very similar to Peter's. You get these comedians trying to be really right on and topical and they're all technically brilliant. And then I'll come on at the end and go 'ruddy Wigan, eh?' and they all go 'whoooahh, that's what we want, a bit of that!

"There's a difference with northern comics. On stage it's like we're having a chat. With others you just get material, none of them in it. No heart."

That reminds me of another performer with a lot of heart. So are there any similarities between St Clair and Spikey?

"Oh no. Jerry is an old fashioned type of compere, the kind that still exists in the clubs. His jokes are all a bit tired, and he hasn't got the range of material or the energy to expand it.

"I don't do any gags -- it's all observational. I worked at the Royal Bolton Hospital, and only left last year," he reveals, "so I've got loads of material because everyone's been to hospital. I do stuff about how ambiguous all the signs are, and how they talk to you in a different language. I also do stuff about the worst things that can happen to you, silly little things like going to the swimming baths and swallowing a plaster, or pushing a dog upstairs. Odd things, as well as observational."

Stand-up could easily take second place, with Phoenix Nights proving so popular. So are you still as keen?

"Yes," he replies emphatically. "Stand up is my first love. You know when you know you are good at something. That's sounds really big headed -- but I still don't know with acting, I still have a doubt.

"Even with one series under my belt, I'm still looking at people going 'is this all right?' But I do love writing. There is talk that I might be writing a novel of the series, and again it's something I'm not sure of, but I'm going to have a go.

"I know the characters inside out, and if they got a ghost writer it might not have the right feel. Also hopefully we'll be releasing a DVD with all the extra bits that didnt go into the series and there's talk of music from the series coming out, so you'll get me on CD singing The Perfect 10," he chortles.

So the future of Phoenix Nights looks bright?

Well, we've had an immense amount of interest. In fact, Eric Clapton and Liam Gallagher wanted to be in it," he confides, "and we actually wrote a part for them. And then we thought no. It's a shame . . . but it just wouldn't happen would it? "