JO Brand, arguably the country's best comedienne, is a little worried.

She fears her constant television appearances - everything from Have I Got News For You to the comedy sports quiz They Think it's all Over - will end up with the British public absolutely sick of the sight of her.

"I'm very aware that I'm on telly a lot at the moment," she says. "And I'm very aware of the dangers - it's the Tony Slattery syndrome of being on everything and then being on nothing. So I think I'll have to start rationing myself a bit.

"But it's hard to turn down work after years on the comedy circuit. I just feel so grateful that people have thought of me."

The larger than life comic took time out of her hectic live tour - which includes a stop-off at Manchester Apollo on Thursday next week- to talk to the BEN. "The tour's been great up to now. Because I'm tending to play theatres the audience is much more polite and I've not had many hecklers - which is a massive relief."

"I'm on the road now until the beginning of December. After that I'll put my feet up."

Left-winger Jo says the highlight of her career to date was definitely her appearance on the political show Question Time.

"I'd mentioned somewhere that it was my favourite programme and the producers approached me to see if I wanted to be a panellist.

"I was frightened to death but I thought this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"The next day The Sun wrote a leader saying I'd lowered the tone of the show. But quite honestly that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."

Which brings us neatly onto the subject of her very public mutual hate campaign with The Sun's columnist Garry Bushell.

"He started it all," she says. "He wrote something about me looking hideous but being funny. And then a few months later he said not only did I look hideous but he hated what I did as well. "I don't know what I've done to upset him. He uses every opportunity he gets to have a go at me."

Asked what she would do if she ever had the misfortune to come face-to-face with her tormenter, she says: "I've not really thought about it - but it would definitely be something extremely violent."

A former psychiatric nurse, Jo says she took the plunge into comedy just before her 30th birthday. "I'd always wanted to have a go at being funny.

"So I just jumped in with both feet. I think everyone should take one major risk at least once in their lives.

"Even if it doesn't work out in years to come you won't look back and wish you'd had the bottle to have a go.

"Luckily for me it did work out." Since giving up her nursing career in 1987 Jo has graduated from five minute support slots on the London comedy circuit into one of the best known faces in the cut-throat comedy business. And last year her efforts were rewarded when Channel 4 gave her her own show Jo Brand - Through the Cakehole.

Jo gets her material from talking to friends and things from her past.

"Because I had a normal job for more than a decade, I think and I hope that I've managed to keep my feet on the ground and can still tune into what people think is funny. If I'd come into comedy straight after university, as some have done, I don't think I'd have that common touch."

Although she worked for so long in the NHS, larger than life Jo is a true advocate of excess. In her show she makes constant reference to her unhealthy lifestyle which involves lots of drinking and smoking.

"I can't stand this health lobby who try and make us all behave in the same way. At the moment if you look a bit different people feel its alright to have a go at you.

"But I think if we follow all this advise we're all going to end up like clones - and incredibly boring in the process."

She's been called a few things over the years - not always flattering - but boring is something you could never accuse the inimitable Jo of.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.