Rodney Bewes can't resist a bit of mischief. Latecomers to his one-man show at the Borough Theatre be warned!

As you're attempting to reach your seats he's likely to descend into the stalls with a torch, check your tickets and try to sell you a programme – then return to the stage and give you a recap on 'the plot so far'.

Sixty years in showbusiness and Rodney shows no signs of slowing down. He's touring his current show - A Boy Growing Up - from Cornwall to the Isle of Mull.

The show, based on excerpts from Dylan Thomas' short stories, takes him full circle – to one of his earliest theatre experiences.

"I saw a matinee show at the Globe Theatre in London in the 1950s, when I was in my teens, which had Welsh actor and playwright Emlyn Williams reciting extracts from some of Dylan Thomas' short stories. It fascinated me. I saw it five or six times.

"I wanted to get hold of the original prompt script but couldn't find it - but I've kept the title."

The setting is a BBC radio studio and the audience enters to discover Rodney is already on stage. A series of perforated white screens suggest sound-proofing; there is a table, an old-fashioned BBC standing mic and a green recording light, which is operated by Rodney's foot.

"People think the show is a reading - but it's all learnt. I rehearse every morning to the wall."

Rodney likes to launch his one-man shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

"I love it, it's full of young people who shout and swear!"

His previous show, Three Men in a Boat, won the coveted Stella Artois Prize in 1997.

This latest offering was highly-praised in the Fringe Review, with comments such as "The ageless master works his magic seducing the Fringe once again" and "It has been known for Fringe stalwarts to consider crawling over glass to hear Rodney Bewes read a telephone book."

Rodney was, understandably, delighted.

Born in Bingley near Bradford in 1937 Rodney Bewes went to drama school in London – 'a Northern lad learning to dance in black tights surrounded by posh boys!'.

A speculative letter to a TV comedy producer at BBC Lime Grove set his broadcast career rolling.

"My first role was in 'The Mystery of Mountcliff Chase' in 1952. I was paid nine guineas."

He is, of course, best remembered for the hugely successful 1960s BBC sitcom The Likely Lads, created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? broadcast in the 70s.

He has no problem with forever being associated with the character of Bob Ferris.

"The script was brilliant – and to be remembered in something good is marvellous.

"People used to hurry home in those days to see shows like Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe & Son. At one point we had 26 million viewers for The Likely Lads - that's half the population!"

Rodney's first major film role was as Tom Courtenay's friend Arthur in John Schlesinger's Billy Liar. Other film credits include Spring and Port Wine, Peter Bogdanovich's Saint Jack and Jabberwocky, written by Lewis Carroll and directed by Terry Gilliam with a cast list like a comedy Who's Who, including Michael Palin, John Le Mesurier, Warren Mitchell, Harry H. Corbett and Max Wall.

Among many notable stage performances he played Flute to Sir Ralph Richardson's Bottom on an international tour of Midsummer Night's Dream.

Recently he was at Elstree studios, discussing a possible role in EastEnders, and the producer 'who looked as if she was about 12' asked if he'd been there before.

In fact Elstree had once been like a second home, in the days when it was the rehearsal block for Lou Grade's ATV.

"I was in the chair next to Robert Mitchum at The Red Lion pub at Elstree the day Kennedy was shot.

"On another occasion I bumped into Eric Morecambe there and asked why everyone seemed to be all of a flutter. He took me to see a new group called The Beatles performing 'She Loves You'. I said 'They'll never get anywhere with a name like that!'"

The role in EastEnders didn't work out but he thinks that's probably for the best. He could quite fancy a part in Midsomer Murders, on the other hand...

For the foreseeable future, however, he's occupied with touring his solo show, which he says he finds ' mega rewarding' but admits can be a lonely existence and is grateful for the occasions when wife Daphne joins him.

"It's rewarding because I know it works...performing something you have put together yourself."

It's not just the show that he puts together himself either.

He books the venues and drives himself from one to the other in his Ford Mondeo, taking care of everything from arranging the press coverage to writing the programme notes.

"I have a very nice programme I sell for £1. Inside I write about my 'staff' of eight including Alexandra Crewe press officer and stage carpenter Stanley Accrington – football teams with the names reversed. It's a bit of a joke for the men dragged there by their wives when they'd would rather be in the pub."

Wherever he appears he tells the audience that he'll be available in the bar after the show to sign books and programmes.

"At one theatre I saw a girl of nine or 10 heading towards me with a programme. She walked straight up to me and said 'You're mad!'. I thought that was great."

Rodney and Daphne, who've been married more than 40 years, divide their time between Henley and Cornwall. They have four children.

Daughter Daisy produced their first grand-daughter Eliza just over a year ago - 'and she's already selling violets on street corners', he couldn't resist adding.

The trouble with his mischief-making is that you're never quite sure when he's joking and when he's being serious.

A young reporter fell foul of his humour recently when she asked how ticket sales were going and he said there'd been such a demand he'd had to hire a giant screen outside to cater for the overflow.

Then there was the time on a chatshow when Gloria Hunniford asked him the name of his new-born triplets.

"I told her they were called Tarquin, Falcon and Storm and she said 'Oh, what lovely names!' Actually they're called Joe, Tom and Bill."

I must confess, once our chat was over, I found myself checking a few things on the internet – not least whether he and Daphne actually had triplets!

I apologise if one or two of his tall tales have, nonetheless, slipped under the radar but I won't be the first or the last to be caught out - and you can readily forgive someone who, aged 75, tells you simply: 'I love life - it's such a gift!'

A Boy Growing Up is at the Borough Theatre on Sunday (March 3) from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10) from the Box Office 01873 850805 or online at http://www.boroughtheatreabergavenny.co.uk">www.boroughtheatreabergavenny.co.uk