Now he's heading to Worthing to take the audience on a nostalgic tour of the things he has done and the people he has met in his one man show.

It should be an interesting journey, for Jimmy talks about working with the likes of Maurice Chevalier, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope and shows videos of them, too.

And there's plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in. "I've been to all sorts of places already and people have been asking some very interesting questions," he said. "Some have been quite saucy – and they have had saucy answers. It's great fun."

Although he has performed many concerts in Worthing, this is the first time the comedian has brought "an evening with..." style of show to town.

The tour finishes at the end of September but he has no idea what he will be doing next.

"I'm being offered work all the time and I will just have to see what I would like to do," he said. "I enjoy getting up there and getting that same buzz I got from Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the 1960s. I enjoy it even more now.

"I'm still stagestruck and I'm still keen as mustard. There are still lots of things I'm looking forward to doing.

"I started such a long time ago and I don't know where longevity of my career and the likes of Bruce Forsyth and Ronnie Corbett came from. It's quite amazing."

Born in Liverpool and the son of a bookmaker, Jimmy left school at 15. He played football, had several jobs and was always a bit of a joker.
It was while he was a red coat that he was spotted by Val Parnell and made his TV debut on Comedy Bandbox.

After several guest appearances on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, he became resident compere in 1965.

He was soon headlining top variety shows and then TV beckoned with The Jimmy Tarbuck Show, It's Tarbuck and Tarbuck's Luck.

From The Parkinson Show to the "Live From..." series, culminating in Live From the London Palladium in the 1980s, he went on to the highly successful talk show Tarby and Friends and Tarby After Ten.

Summer shows, pantos, cabaret, after dinner speaking, charity work and his never failing love of golf and football have continued.

He has written books, received the top Variety Club of Great Britain award of Showbusiness Personality of the Year and was made an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem for his charity work. An OBE followed in 1994 for his services to showbusiness and charity.

The highlights for him include the Palladium. "That's what started it all off. It was one show that could change your life. Half the country or more – about 28million people – used to watch it," he said. "And, of course, Bruce Forsyth was the compere. He's brilliant to work with – a great professional."

Then there was doing a show for the president of the USA with Bob Hope and last year's Royal Variety Performance, which he was pleased to be able to do again and "enjoyed immensely".

See Jimmy Tarbuck at Worthing's Pavilion Theatre on August 10 at 7.45pm. Tickets are £16.50 (concessions £1 off) from the box office on 01903 206206 or click here

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