AS THE up-and-coming stars on the bill of Variety Lives are sweating over final preparations for their performances at Stratford Circus on Friday, one man will be taking an altogether different approach.

Instantly recognisable by his craggy ‘saarf London’ tones, compere supreme Arthur Smith tells me: “I’ll knock out a few gags, maybe do a bit of poetry, drop in a couple of anecdotes, be rude to someone in the second row. To be honest, I work out what I’m going to do on the way there.”

And herein lies the appeal of Arthur Smith – a somewhat reluctant comic, begrudingly passing on his frank observations in shows such as Grumpy Old Men and telling it exactly how he sees it. There is nothing contrived or planned about this Bermondsey-born star, in fact, he would be the first to admit it was quite the contrary.

Speaking frankly he tells me: “Sometimes I regret I haven’t put enough work in. I come away from jobs and I think I didn’t do it well, but I’m not known as a perfectionist, I’m always known to wing it. I feel a bit sorry for the perfectionists, it looks like hard work.”

Beginning his career working largely as a compere in the early ‘80s, Arthur, who now lives in Balham, quickly made a name for himself at the Edinburgh Fringe with his brand of alternative comedy (he has been known to strip on stage and has even taken his audience on a guided tour of Edinburgh).

Still a firm Edinburgh favourite, he is now a regular on BBC Radio 2 and 4, presenting shows such as Loose Ends and Excess Baggage. Yet despite his success as a performer, the star insists it is writing that brings him most joy – which for a self-proclaimed “grumpy old man” is sort of ironic!

“On a personal level the highlights of my career would be the opening night of my first West End play, (An Evening With Gary Linekar) in 1991, and the first play I wrote which I took to Edinburgh a few years earlier (The Live Bed Show).

“The thought that I could write a play and have it performed was really rewarding. Being a performer came naturally to me, but writing – that was the thing that really interested me. Words are my currency.”

Words have indeed played a big role in Arthur’s career. With An Evening With Gary Linekar he landed an Olivier nomination and his more recent play Dante’s Inferno attracted rave reviews. Sticking with the written word, his autobiography, My Name is Daphne Fairfax: A Memoir, will be published in May.

Explaining his reasons for laying bare his life, Arthur tells me in his trademark matter-of-fact manner: “Well, I was asked and I was offered money to do it, and at the time I was also trying to create a sort of autobiography through old letters I had hanging around in my archive. I was trying to make an art version of it all and then I started writing bits and, well, I’m going to be dead soon, so why not.”

A sentiment that rings all too close to home following a near-death experience from pancreatitis in 2001 which forced him to become teetotal and provided the material for his comedy monologue, Arthur Smith’s Last Hangover.

Once famously announcing, “I don’t do days”, I wonder if becoming sober has changed his nocturnal ways. “I do get up earlier than I used to and go rambling on the South Downs, but I’m definitely still essentially an owl rather than a lark. I never understand people that get up at seven, it always takes me about a hour after I have woken up to really wake up. Before that I’m miserable and grumpy.”

Arthur Smith will compere Variety Lives at Stratford Circus on Friday, April 24, 8pm. The acts will be comics Andi Osho and Arnold Brown and jazz singer Carol Grimes. Tickets: 0844 357 2625 or www.stratford-circus.com (£10-£12.50)