WITH regular appearances on Eight Out Of Ten Cats, Mock The Week, Live At The Apollo and as host of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now! Rob Beckett is becoming hard to avoid.

And what makes it all the more amazing is the blond-haired comic with the most famous comedy gnashers since Ken Dodd and Alan Carr has only been treading the stand-up stage professionally for three years.

He was inspired to go on stage by seeing a terrible turn at an open mic gig five years ago.

“I thought there was no way I could be that bad,” he says on a break from a tour of university freshers weeks – including appearances at Middlesborough, Norwich UEA and Crewe.

“I’ve done about 10 years' worth of gigs in that time, performing four or five times a week. I went to Adelaide after a year and did my first hour-long show which helped me get better.

“People say comedy is really scary, but if you don’t know what you’re doing any job is scary and stressful. If you start working at a supermarket you don’t know what’s happening on your first day. You’re overwhelmed by information.

“You don’t do 40 hours a week as a stand-up – it’s just five minutes and then another five minutes the next week.”

A lot of Beckett’s comedy is based on his own experiences growing up in a big family in South London.

“I don’t write anything down,” he says. “I sometimes record the shows and listen back which can be painful, but normally when people laugh I remember what I said.

“It’s based on whatever I find funny – if people don’t like it I won’t say it again.

“My first Edinburgh show [in 2012] was more about living at home with my mum and dad. The next tour will be about moving in with my girlfriend and growing up a bit. In ten years time it could be about having kids.

“I’ve done bits of telly and gone off to the jungle, but otherwise I live a normal life – I’m not like Russell Brand going off around the world. I live in South London, I go to the football and the pub – hopefully I’m not too far removed from everything. I don’t care how much money I make – if I had a butler he would bring me squash rather than champagne!”

He follows a similar relaxed attitude to panel shows – admitting he’s pretty oblivious and doesn’t find them too stressful.

“I come from a big family – going on Eight Out Of Ten Cats is quieter than going to my mum’s for Sunday lunch,” he says.

“I turn up and hope for the best. I don’t want to overanalyse it – if I keep being asked back I will go. You don’t ask a girl why they keep wanting to go on dates with you!”

He admits to a love of the British seaside, and Brighton holds a special place in his heart.

“I saved someone from drowning in the sea at Brighton,” he reveals.

“It was about five or six years ago, when I was 18. There were these two fellas in the sea fully dressed in some sort of religious clothes – it was a bit like in Thailand when people go into the sea fully dressed.

“One of them was struggling and the other guy was shouting for help, but no-one could understand him. I was just in my shorts so I just swam in and got the guy out.

“My biggest memory was having a lot of adrenaline going around my body afterwards – and my mate gave me a Red Bull. I didn’t need that – it felt like my head was going to explode!”

The future is looking bright for Beckett – with more panel shows on the cards, an Australian tour, an ongoing Sunday afternoon slot on Absolute Radio and even a couple of sitcoms in development.

“They’re in very early stages,” he says. “You’ve always got to have a couple on the go just in case...”