GYLES Brandreth, desp-ite a wealth of worldly experiences with the rich and famous, comes across as a down to earth chap.

After decades in the public eye, from appearing on TV-AM to winning a seat in Parliament, the writer, raconteur, sometime actor and former Chester MP has put together a wealth of anecdotes and stories for his new show, Wit's End, an A - Z of Wit and Wordplay.

Gyles' career has led him from one extreme to another, from playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella, to being Lord Commissioner for the Treas-ury in John Major's government.

"I think one of my problems is that I'm still trying to work out what I like to do," said Gyles, who now works on radio in London as well as making regular appearances on Countdown, Call My Bluff and Have I Got News For You.

"My wife says I suffer from arrested development bec-ause I'm doing now exactly what I was doing at school and university. I was acting in plays and standing in school elections, I edited the university magazine and was president of the Oxford Union. I'm quite good at enjoying what I'm doing on the day.

"I got a chance to meet a tremendous range of people. I remember the Duke of Edinburgh saying, 'Gyles, you must stop this name-dropping'," he joked.

The show, which plays at Worcester's Huntingdon Hall on Friday, January 18, covers wordsmiths from Woody Allen to Oscar Wilde, interspersed with tales and observations from Gyles. Among the anecdotes he will recall is dropping Yehudi Menuhin's prized Stradivarius violin down the steps of Canterbury Cathedral in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Menuhin himself.

Of his date at Huntingdon Hall he added: "I know and love Worcester. I'm, of course, an Elgar fan. It's an evening that I hope will make people laugh, an evening of a lot of entertainers and actors I have met over the years. I'm aiming for one hundred laughs in one hundred minutes.

"I love language. We are very lucky that we speak English, which is the richest language in the world."

Tickets are £11 (£10 concs) from 01905 611427.