As he hits the road with his new show, the 44-year-old comic looks likely to set more attendance records. The show, which is taking in some of the country's most massive arenas, bears the very apt title of "Big".

He is coming to Brighton very soon _ so brace yourself for a typically dynamic act. Audiences are drawn to the unique combination of humour, charisma, and sheer, all-consuming energy that he serves up on stage. Currently, there is no bigger star on the circuit than Lee.

For all that, he remains appealingly modest – which, ironically, is another reason audiences are so attracted to him. When we meet in his agent's central London office on the eve of the tour, Lee is eager to play down his fame. He lives a quiet life, out in Essex and away from the limelight, with his wife (and childhood sweetheart), Heather, and his beloved teenage daughter, Molly.

The comedian, who has had big hits in Hollywood with movies such as There's Something About Mary, Mousehunt and The Fifth Element and wowed audiences in the West End production of The Producers, would be the last person to big himself up.

"I'm not into all that," Lee says, with a shy grin. "Otherwise, I'd go and open supermarkets. But if I started doing that, I'd feel I was letting a lot of people down – not just the people who come to see my shows, but my family and friends. They'd say, 'what are you doing?' I don't want to fritter away goodwill.

"People often ask me, 'why don't you talk about Hollywood?', but audiences aren't interested in all that. They want you to tell them about stuff they see in their everyday lives. Being grand is just not my style. Anyway, it would never be allowed in our house!"

So what will Lee be talking about in "Big"? He reveals that he will be bemoaning the frenzied pace at which everyone leads their life these days.

He thinks our frenetic way of life is only aggravated by 24-hour news.
"It's making us even more paranoid. We're all frightened of not knowing as much as other people. 24-hour news hypes everything up and creates unwarranted fears. It can turn us against each other. The news bangs on about how we're in crisis. There is no crisis, but people are determined to create one so they can make money out of it. I find that slightly worrying."

Lee is just as incensed by another daily annoyance: cold calling. "I had someone phoning me up at eight o'clock this morning asking, 'everything alright? Any questions?' 'Yes, when was the Battle of Waterloo? Why are you checking up on me? Leave me alone!' It soon emerged that he was trying to sell me insurance, so I said to Heather, 'scream at me, so they'll think we're having an argument and go away'. It's the only way to get rid of them!"

The comic goes onto complain that you can only ever speak to a computerised voice when you call a big company. "They're taking people out of the equation," Lee sighs. "You don't get served by a person any more _ it's a machine or an automated voice saying, 'press this button for further options'. You can never see someone face to face. We're all getting dragged into this now. It's all part of the consumerist society. From the day we're born, we're seen as potential customers, and I find that deeply depressing."

Another aspect of modern life that infuriates Lee is the increase in identity theft. "People steal our identities all the time. During Michael Jackson's court case, for instance, the only person making any money was a Michael Jackson look-alike. He was earning a fortune, while the real Michael Jackson was losing money. The world's gone mad! Someone stole my identity and I thought, 'he's better than me, I'm packing it in!' It was fine by me. I look in the mirror and see an idiot. That guy looks in the mirror and sees a genius!

"People on the internet feel that they're better than they really are. They do things that they would never do if they met you in person. People nowadays are questioning their position in the world because they're made to feel inadequate by society. That's a shame. People should be embraced for who they are."

In "Big," Lee will also be fuming about the inherent weakness of the European Union. "They keep telling us all to get together, but all the time the world is segregating. Look at the problems in the Middle East or Africa. Why is the EU spending so much money on itself when there are all those people dying all over the world? The EU is just a self-serving clique. They're not doing anything about war or starvation. There are all these problems in the world and they're doing nothing about them!"

It all sounds fab. But, Lee stresses, the one subject he will not be addressing in "Big" is his own fame. "That's just not done round our way," he smiles. "I've never been tempted by the fame game. It doesn't appeal at all. We never talk about it at home. There are no pictures of me shaking hands with anyone famous. There may be the odd photo of our wedding day with me looking like an idiot, but that's it. And my awards are all in the loft.

"I don't want to talk about myself all the time," he says before adding with one last laugh: "I'd rather talk to my mates about what's happening on their building sites!"

Lee is at the Brighton Centre on October 7 and 8 and November 4 to 10. On November 24 a DVD of the tour called Big Live at the O2 is being launched. For more information, click here

-------------------------------------
Click here to go back to leisure.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Herald: letters@worthingherald.co.uk