Frank Skinner has 101 reasons to celebrate turning 60

FRANK SKINNER turns 60 on Saturday, and the comic is questioning how best to mark the occasion.

“At the moment, there’s quite a big debate in the house about whether I should have a party or not,” he quips.

“As someone said: ‘It might be your last chance to have a party with an ‘0’ on the end!’

“It’s an odd thing — 60 feels undeniably old, but I don’t feel old, or do I?

“I ought to find some sort of distinctive way to celebrate.

“Tattoo, maybe? I think I’d probably have my name and address, just to plan ahead . . .”

Naturally witty, but forever self-effacing, Frank — born Christopher Graham Collins — may not look his age, dressed in a dapper brown suit and floral shirt combo, paired with a trendy salt-and-pepper quiff, but his extensive CV exposes an impressively-lengthy career in showbiz.

From his early days on the stand-up circuit three decades ago, to scoring laughs beside fellow funnyman David Baddiel on Baddiel And Skinner Unplanned in the early-noughties, the award-winning West Bromwich-born star has become an entertainment stalwart.

If he needs reminding of his latest whereabouts, however, he’d best tune into BBC1’s Room 101, where he’s currently reprising hosting duties on the long-running comedy show, which sees three celebrities compete each week to have their pet hates banished to the notorious Room 101.

Frank, who took over from Paul Merton in 2012, beams as he admits he’s often left surprised by his guests’ gripes.

“Sometimes, I think people have chosen things in a light-hearted way, and then you get real venom from them,” declares Frank, who also fronts The Frank Skinner Show on Absolute Radio on Saturday mornings.

“Those are the best ones — I like it when people get furious!”

And, he observes, Brits love to moan.

“Negativity is very popular here,” notes Frank.

“If you hear someone who’s moaning, it can be a bit of a nightmare, but it’s not as bad as people who are very happy about everything.

“I always think of that thing with relationships — that people who are in a good relationship are not good company, because you don’t want to hear anyone talk about how loved-up they are.

“But people who are having a terrible, traumatic time, I want to hear more and more for all sorts of reasons!”

Making light of another whine about set-up paparazzi shots, he notes: “The audience often really cheer stuff — there is quite a lot of malice and discontent out there, and I like being the person who generally tries to argue against even the most negative of things.”

As for dream guests, he suggests the Archbishop of Canterbury, explaining: “It’s good to go to stranger places.

“I think we’d be delighted that some of his stuff is the same as the things we get wound up about.

“I’d also like to have somebody like the Pope — he would be a great booking,” he adds.

“Or the Dalai Lama. He did MasterChef Australia, so he might do Room 101.”

Even Donald Trump’s in the mix.

“You might not agree with anything he said, but he’d be a great guest, let’s face it!” chuckles Frank.

“There is no bad guest for Room 101. In fact, a bad guest is really what we’re after.”

But while Frank agrees the show’s formula makes for superb viewing, you won’t catch him scrolling through Twitter to check public reaction.

“I’m not on Twitter,” says Frank, who lives in Hampstead with his long-time girlfriend Cath Mason and their four-year-old son, Buzz Cody.

“People have shown me some of things they get on Twitter and I just can’t take that in my life.

“It’s like sitting on your front doorstep for your whole life, and people just walking past and shouting stuff.

“One thing Twitter has revealed, I think, is that people are actually much worse than we thought they were.

“I mean truly horrible — unrestrainedly horrible.”

Despite his nervousness towards social media backlash, however, the seasoned stand-up has no qualms when it comes to putting on brilliant unscripted performances.

He’s currently starring in another run of his hit The Man With No Show, whereby he “just goes on stage for an hour and sees what happens”.

Confessing he has no desire to take the format further, Frank is content he’s at a point in his career where he can call the shots — but that doesn’t mean slowing down.

Of his work-life balance, he says: “At the moment, it’s a bit too much towards work and not enough parent.

“Then again, I have friends who work in offices and they feel the same, so I’m not sure it’s necessarily a showbiz thing.

“The theory is I just do what jobs I like now . . . I don’t do stuff because I need the money, but my policy is that I should say yes to things that I like, because they might dry up soon.

“When word gets out I’m 60, I might not get any offers!” Frank smiles.

“Mind you, I’ve been operating on this same policy for about 25 years.”