COMEDIAN Jimmy Tarbuck loves coming to Weston-super-Mare so he can visit his favourite fish and chip shop, Peter Dyke reports.

The veteran entertainer, who is 84 years old and in town next month on tour, is a huge fan of Papa’s.

And he revealed: “I go there every time after a show in Weston and I’ll be in the queue and they'll say to me ‘Extra vinegar, Jimmy?'

"I would think in the last 10 years I have been here four or five times and I really like it there.

"I am not just saying that to suck up. I love the beach and the pier and the other good thing is that fish and chip shop.”

Staff at the chippie on Waterloo Street say they are “thrilled” to get Jimmy’s seal of approval and are looking forward to his next visit.

The star will be in town at The Playhouse on Sunday August 11 with his one man show An Evening With Jimmy Tarbuck.

With a career spanning 60 years he will have the audience in stitches with his tales about his days at The London Palladium, his TV shows such as Winner Takes All and Full Swing, his late showbiz pals Cilla, Ronnie Corbett, Parky and even John Lennon and his encounters with The Queen, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.

When he visits the theatre, he will also have a very basic backstage rider that will shame the likes of divas Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Sir Elton John.

He said: “It is very simple. All I ask for is a bottle of chilled white wine. It must be cold. I have a sip of wine after the show and then leave. It’s the nicest way of ending the day.”

Jimmy admits life has been tough of late.

In 2020 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He now says: “The doctors told me I won’t die of prostate cancer but I will die with it. “Fair enough “People ask me ‘Are you on drugs?’ and I say ‘Yes. I am. It’s called laughter’. I’m often asked why I haven’t retired. It’s because I would miss making people laugh so much."

Tickets for An Evening With Jimmy Tarbuck are available from https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/playhouse-theatre