Day 20 – Nottingham
On the last tour The Lakeside venue in Nottingham was sold out, and a high point at the end of the run. This time it's full too. The venue manager is proper hardcore Star Wars, and has displayed half of his collection in a big glass cabinet in the foyer. The tech's and staff are all incredibly nice people and the show is good, but one or two people have seen me before and remember some of my stuff, even though around half of it is new. It's a barbed compliment. Sleep.

Day 21 – Brecon
If Nottingham was a high point of the last tour, then Brecon was not. The town is very picturesque, the roads are too narrow for a Citroen Xsara, and the hotel offers no parking so I'm amazed they get guests considering the remoteness of the place. In September the theatre here was the smallest audience and a very odd mix with it.
As we rock up outside the theatre a load of old folks are getting off a canal boat and onto a coach decorated with images of watches and the slogan - “Mark this moment in time”. This is where people come to visit before they die. There is a rider for the show, this is a first, and it's the rider from the notes of the original tour Charlie did several years back, they still have it. I eat strawberries and a child makes me a cup of tea and brings it to my dressing room. I am showbusiness. I am tired showbusiness.
Five minutes into the gig and a geordie wearing an NFC soccer shirt in the front has a pop at me at the mention of the word Sunderland. I smell apparently, as do all people who hail from my wearside town. He should know, as he explains he courted one for several years, which I point out has probably skewed his view, and he then admits he has only ever know three people from Sunderland. Danny Pensive presents the maths to the audience and is full of win. The bloke is then lovely both he and his kid get well into the show. It's a lot better than I expected. The bar at the guest house serves Thatchers Gold cider. Hurra...zzzzzz.

Day 16 – Redhill, Surrey.
Redhill Harlequin is the first 'stage-less' venue we've done. I'm sure there is a technical term for it, but don't know what it is. In the gusthouse, Richard and I are booked into a family room, with is spacous, and also has a shower cubicle in the corner.

Despite being a bit ripe and fragrant with all the travelling I opt not to wash in full view. The crowd for that night is pretty broad and sporadic, a gang of sassy geek girls on one side and more considered older groups on the other side of a wide auditorium, make the show feel more like a gag tennis. There is a nice windmill on a hill on the way out, and I annoy a motorist by stopping to photograph it.

Day 17 – Leamington Spa.
On the way to 'Royal Leamington Spa', Hey Hey It's...I spot the Monkee-mobile being karted up the motorway – a big red convertible with yellow lettering. I guess correctly it's on it's way to Manchester for the concert my missus is attending that night..here they come.

We stop off in Warwick to look at the castle, but think better of it when we see the admission price of twenty quid. To be honest it looks more like an amusement park than a castle, which is fine for a family day out but not for a bunch of travellers looking for a quick fix of history.

Instead we check out the town, and stumble across a town criers competition, which I consider to be all kinds of awesome as mature men and women are dressed up to the nines in all kinds of old school bling compete in the town square with their best five. 'Workshopping' in public as Danny Pensive, I talk to a lovely chap who is only too happy to chat, get my photo taken with him and show me his bell.
Tonight is the Royal Spa Centre, the show is great but our tour manager is a bit narked that they don't lt her operate the lights, like the other 99.9% of places we've been at. I'm enamoured of the seventie's build of the place and the wide san-serif font used throughout the building – I can't place it, but it's straight out of Gerry Anderson's UFO. The guest house has wifi, and tonight I have a room to myself. I fall asleep watching 'The Doctor's wife' twice. It's mint.

Day 18, 19 – Harrogate
The second free day of the run, and the opportunity to wake up in my own bed. I had entered the Manchester 10k which takes place today, but that was a massive overreach of good intent. I'm in no state for it physically or mentally. Wading through crowds in the rain wearing just a cardigan, I don't care, I meet the missus at the end of her run and a big hug. I could fall asleep in the street. Next morning is catching up on some much overdue admin, speak to agent, speak to Buxton fringe, speak to cat, hamster and fish, then off to Harrogate. Harrogate theatre is a great venue, it shows a lot of comedy and it's a cheap thrill to get recognised by the staff from and a the last time I was here. The main stage is a proper old theatre with a great atmosphere, and it's a great warm show.