STEPHEN K Amos is on a mission: to cheer up the nation and prove that laughter really is the best medicine.

STEPHEN K Amos is on a mission: to cheer up the nation and prove that laughter really is the best medicine.

After a breakthrough year in 2010, in which he performed to over 60,000 people on a national tour and got his own primetime BBC2 series, Stephen is hitting the road again and plays the Cresset Theatre in Peterborough on Thursday, January 20.

His aim in the Best Medicine tour is to show that no matter how bad you may feel about something, there will come a time when you can laugh about.

To prove his point, he reads extracts from his childhood diaries in the show, poking fun at how he saw life as a 15-year-old.

“I use it as a crux,” he said. “In one excerpt I wrote ‘Granny made me fruit salad today. It was revolting. I’m sure she used vegetables!’ At the time, it was obviously all so painful and meaningful, but now it’s just hilarious.

“The diary charts the ups and downs of my life. It shows that my sense of humour is still the same. I’m still the same mischievous lad. It’s just that now I’ve got an audience, as opposed to keeping it all to myself!”

Despite making his name on television shows such as Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, and Have I Got News for You, Stephen says there is nothing to beat the rush adrenaline of live stand-up.

“You’re in the moment. There is no edit button,” he said. “If something happens there and then, you just run with it. The great thing is, the audience know it’s spontaneous. I’m not doing the same joke for the millionth time – this one is just for them.

“Also, if someone pipes up in the auditorium and we start a dialogue, that’s terrific. There’s nothing better!”

INFORMATION: The show starts at 8pm. Tickets are �18.50 and available from the box office on 01733 265705.