JOE Pasquale is boldly going where his comedy has never been before: space. Welcome to Pasquale's 2001...A Magical Oddity, travelling to a theatre near you, the Grand Opera House in York to be precise, next Wednesday.

Speaking from his home in deepest Kent, the comedian with the squeak rather than bleep in his voice confirms: "The show will have an alien, spacey feel to it. We'll be using the music from the film Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and we do have aliens on board.

"It's quite a strange show this one. This is my seventh nationwide tour and I like to change the show each year - I first toured in 1993 and I've done it constantly since then - and I think this is the best show I've ever done."

There will be space in the show for Raynard, Joe's "unidentical" twin brother. "We were split at birth and he was brought up by Spandau Ballet. He says I've grown up with this show but I don't think I have: it's just very different."

That applies to his life away from the stage, too. "I'm trying to eat healthier, now that I'm 40. I'm still eating kebabs but at a more sensible time of day," he says.

As ever, Pasquale's show will be physical, in the clowning tradition, and the passing of the 40 mark will make no difference to that. "When the adrenaline starts going and you start getting really into it, you don't think about getting any older," he says.

The tour publicity promises "a lot of very foxy magic" from Mr Pasquale but Joe seems somewhat foxed by that suggestion. "I've got to be honest; my manager came up with that and when I said 'What do you mean by foxy', he said 'I don't know, you'll think of something' but I haven't come up with anything yet!"

You never know, April 18 in York might just be the night when 'foxy' and Raynard and Joe are all in the show.

Joe Pasquale, in 2001...A Magical Oddity, Grand Opera House, York, April 18, 7.30pm. Tickets: £12.50 and £10.50; ring 01904 671818