Jim Davidson debates whether to stop touring completely to focus on his charity work

Jim Davidson won New Faces and became a household name, known as much for controversy as humour.

He has been arrested, declared bankrupt and treated for alcoholism, issues he deals with in his one-man play at Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium on the 24th and in Dunfermline on the 25th. He founded the charity Care After Combat.

Why a one-man play rather than stand-up?

I’m debating whether to stop touring completely. I’ve been offered a full-time job with the charity so I wanted to set the record straight before I made up my mind.

What do you want to set the record straight on?

The right-wing, homophobic, racist image I have. I always wanted to be accepted by the younger comics, so this is as much for Frankie Boyle as it is for me. I grew up in an ethnic minority family – we were Scots living in London – so I’m no racist.

Your show deals with family issues. Difficult?

When I won New Faces my mum’s life was turned upside down. I showed off, parking my Rolls Royce outside her council house. I was stupid. She hated the wilder side of me that showbiz brought out. I did apologise eventually for being a berk.

Describe yourself in THREE adjectives.

Witty, loyal and Impatient. I always want things NOW. That explains all of my marriages.

Are you easy to live with?

No. I get tunnel vision about things, pushing everything else aside. I think I’m on the bipolar scale. The ups in my life are the worst times, because that’s when I risk everything.

Who makes you laugh?

Barry Humphries as Dame Edna because he has an extreme comedy intelligence. Also, I love the late Dave Allen. He wasn’t a quick one-liner type, just a wonderful storyteller.

Best and worst of times?

The best was hosting The Generation Game. The worst was getting sacked from it. A new boss came in and said: “What’s that right-wing so-and-so doing on my screen? Get him off.”

Last book you read?

Fighting For Peace by General Sir Michael Rose. It taught me not to argue with his bodyguard, a guy called Goose who now works for me.

What will be on your headstone?

I have my charity and the work it’s done, so I’ll be happy if my tombstone simply says: “He was a funny guy.”

You have 24 hours left to live. How do you spend them?

I would grab a rifle and get my own back on everyone who has been horrible to me. But with my luck, as the police closed in, my doctor would say he’d made a mistake and I was getting better.

Comedian Frankie Boyle calls for quotas to ensure ethnic diversity on TV