King of the one-liners Gary Delaney will headline the Oh So Funny Night at O’Neills in Leytonstone. He talks to us about zombie films, stolen jokes, and stage fright.

First person you remember making you laugh? My Dad. He absolutely nailed it with his classic 'Ga ga goo goo, beek a boo' routine.

Worst job you’ve ever had? I used to run a brickyard in Liverpool but I came in one morning and it was up on wheels. 

I used to be a department store Santa but on the first day I was given the sack..and the boots, the beard and the big red coat.

Easiest job was as a childhood diabetes outreach worker, it was like taking candy off a baby.

What happened at your first gig? I told jokes, people laughed and I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

Funniest person you’ve met who isn’t a comedian/stand-up? Honestly, what always makes me honk with laughter is watching kids peer out the back of coaches on the motorway and flick the Vs at passing motorists. Probably because I was one of those kids.

Most offensive thing anyone’s ever said to you (that we can print!) and who said it? At Download festival playing to about 2,000 people, there was this kid at the front who kept on screaming at me that I'd nicked my entire set of another comedian he had seen, how shameless that was etc. It turned out the other comedian he thought I'd nicked all my jokes from was in fact me. He just hadn't recognised me with a beard.

I once had a guy keep shouting 'gay Jew' at me, which was quite tricky as I wanted to point out his inaccuracy whilst pointing out that technically neither of those things is actually an insult.

Have you ever had a joke stolen? What did you do? Every good gag you write gets stolen. That's a fact of life in the internet age. Comics used to have a set that lasted for decades (or until they did it on TV). Now jokes are old within a couple of months.

The most stolen jokes I ever had are: 'I've got a new job playing the triangle in a reggae band, and 'ting'and 'Old McDonald had tourettes, E, I, E, I, C***. They went all round the internet, ended up on millions of texts, t-shirts, pub signs, radio, newspapers etc.

Who would win in a gentlemanly battle of one liners- you, Tim Vine or Jimmy Carr? We all have different schticks so there's place for us all. Tim is clean and silly, Jimmy is harsh and banters really well....and I'm... well I'm playing Leytonstone on Saturday night.

If a joke you write for a TV show doesn’t get used do you nick it back for your own gigs? Nope. That's considered poor form. Very occasionally I've asked for a particular unused gag back, but that's about it.

Do you think some comedians take the job too seriously? Why? Only the ones who are political and preachy. A comic's opinions on politics are every bit as important as a butcher's views on astronomy.

Best advice you’ve ever been given? Work hard. Talent is everywhere, the ability to work hard is rare.

What would you say to someone who has stage fright? That's good. Stage fright makes you a better performer. Only crap comics don't get nervous.

Are you getting better with age? I'm getting better with experience, age is just an unhappy by-product.

What’s your biggest vice? I watch every zombie film ever made, no matter how rubbish.

Which works faster your brain or your mouth? Brain.

Does love or money make the world go round? Neither. Centrifugal force.

Do you like being interviewed? I'm always happy to spout my views so yes.

What material will you be performing at Leytonstone? A big bag of one liners, some clean, some rude, some dark, some silly.

Have you been to this part of the country before? Nope. I did a gig in Stratford about ten years ago, that's as close as I've been. I like gigs in East End of London, a more honest and less poncey crowd than you get in Hampstead etc.

Gary Delaney will headline the Oh So Funny Comedy night at O'Neills, High Road, Leytonstone, E11 3AW on Saturday, February 28 which runs from 7pm to 10.30pm. Details: ohsofunny.co.uk