In Belfast this weekend with a new stage show, he is his usual good-natured self.

For a 68-year-old, who had a quadruple heart bypass less than a year ago, that’s pretty good going.

“I went the doctor to get some cream for my arm and, when I was there, my wife Rita said to him that I was a bit chesty,” he said.

“He sent me for an X-ray and a couple of weeks later, I was having a four-way bypass.”

His response to medical advice to take things easy in the wake of the operation was to put together a tour.

“The doctor told me it would be a bit much to take on a whole night on my own, and asked if there was something else I could do,” Ricky said.

“So I decided to get three of my mates together and do this show.”

This comedy show will feature Pauline Daniels, Duncan Norvelle and Tony Barton alongside Ricky.

“We have a nice night, and there are plenty of laughs in it, the show is never the same twice,” he said.

Away from the stage, Ricky shows no signs of slowing down, with a documentary about former Liverpool manager Bob Paisley in the works, and another Royle Family Christmas special due to air this year.

“That was definitely good news for me,” he said.

“The last one we did was marvellous, old Liz Smith as Norma was wonderful and I’m going to miss her.

“Caroline Aherne is a genius so I know it’s going to be great. We have a fantastic time doing the show, it’s like a family coming together again.”

And he is also planning a log cabin on the banks of the River Dee in Wales, though the fact that he was down at it laying concrete there recently suggests that life isn’t as laid back as you might imagine.

But he is looking forward to the Belfast show.

“I always have a great time there,” Ricky said, “Northern Irish people are very much like Scousers.”

He added with a laugh: “I’ll be disappointed if we get to Belfast and there’s no one from Liverpool in the audience, they’ve been at every show so far.”

The show mixes comedy, music and politics – Ricky was imprisoned in the 1970s as a result of his involvement in the Trade Union movement.

“We always get told off for the show over-running, but we want to give the audiences as much as we can,” he said.

It features Ricky as the host and compere, but he admitted the highlight of the night is normally after the curtain comes down.

“The part of the show I enjoy most is afterwards, when I go down the front to meet the audience and sign stuff,” he said, “it’s great to talk to people.”

n Ricky Tomlinson performs at the Waterfront Hall on Saturday, September 6. Tickets cost £30. For more information, or to book, contact the box office on 9033 4455 or log on to www.waterfront.co.uk.