MILES JUPP has become a cult favourite in British comedy thanks to his off-kilter, often exasperated take on everyday life. The themes of his stand-up range from the absurd, domestic and political – the latter of which can also be evidenced in his role as host of popular Radio 4 programme The News Quiz.

Jupp’s acting career has seen him appear in such diverse productions as BBC comedy Rev, blockbuster film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and children’s show Balamory. Ahead of a Brighton show as part of his Songs of Freedom tour, the comedian spoke to EDWIN GILSON about domestic imprisonment, panel shows and staying away from Twitter.

Hot drinks, housing, ageing, government. The themes in your new show seem quite scattershot. Do you lurch from topic to topic fairly randomly?

I hope it segues seamlessly. But yes, a show like this represents 18 months of random thought. Some of the content is put together a long time after it was first written so here I am trying to make sense of something that seemed funny four years ago.

You said: “I don’t tweet, but I write things down that ought to be a tweet.” Do you feel you’re winning against the tweeters in that you can bank up all your funny quotes rather than use them on social media?

Yes, I say these things in front of a paying audience instead. I’m not very engaged with that kind of world [social media]. I mean, I have to keep on top of it to a certain extent because I host a news quiz, so I do look at people’s twitter feeds. I don’t have my own account, though, so I don’t get dragged into certain conversations that others seem to get entangled in.

Does not engaging with social media mean you can approach it from a different, interesting angle in stand-up?

It’s a blessing in terms of perspective, I suppose. I can function in the modern world – I don’t stare at electrical lighting wondering what is happening. If you do social media the idea is you’re pushing yourself out there but I do think that you can push yourself too far and lose control. I suppose you can protect yourself if you don’t do that.

How do you mean, lose control?

Well, just relentlessly posting about what you are doing all the time. I just find that quite aggressive. Some comedians go and stand behind the merchandise table as soon as they’ve finished their show but I just can’t do that. It’s not quite in my make-up to go and meet people straight away.

Is that because you want to uphold a level of mystique?

Maybe fabricate a level of mystique is more accurate.

To what extent is your on-stage persona is a construction of exaggeration of your everyday self?

You take what you are and turn up all the dials. If you’re a bit angry you pretend to be a lot angry. A lot of it is just attaching undue significance to whatever it is you’re talking about. If something happens in a cafe that you think is a bit odd, you write it as though it is infuriating and upsetting. Even my speaking voice is always turned up a notch when I’m on stage – my natural way of speaking is quiet and mumbly.

You said “domestic imprisonment” is one of the key themes in this show. Is life administration getting you down?

I do think that admin is one of the worst things about being a grown-up. During my last show I had four young children in the house and that does have an impact on how you view the world.

Do you talk about your family in a direct way?

I might talk about specific anecdotes but nothing too specific. There is a bit of the show about arguments with my wife... well, arguments that she has won, essentially.

How do you relate these anecdotes to a wider audience?

It’s a bit of a risk because you could really be opening up a wound for someone. I’m not one of these people who wants to go out and say “I’m exactly like you”. I try to strike a balance between stuff that is relatable and material which is more unique. If you’re talking about something that’s only your opinion, you’re mostly wrong. There are some examples to the contrary, like Isaac Newton and gravity.

Is it a sinking feeling to embark on a diatribe and realise nobody in the audience feels the same way?

In the early days I had some material about what it was like to be on panel shows, which could slip into slightly abusive territory. I couldn’t really make it fly and then I realised most of the people were there because they had seen me on one of these shows.

Do you still have negative feelings towards panel shows?

I quite like them now. I try not to do as many as I once did, because I want The News Quiz to be my main thing. I sit on them and I laugh quite a lot, which is usually because I’m enjoying myself.

The News Quiz seems quite a high-wire act. Are there moments when you think it will fall apart, or even that there will be an awkward silence?

It’s edited, so if we do wander together up a cul-de-sac we can just cut that bit out. The people who have done the show a long time are capable not just of digging themselves out of holes but everyone else too. It’s less nervewracking than you might imagine.

Do you ever suddenly become too selfconscious on stage and seize up?

You’ve got to be comfortable and familiar with the material, to the extent that you are able to perform it almost without thinking. It’s no use to be thinking about what you’re doing next. Sometimes ad libs in that situation are responses to you listening to yourself.

Can you end up being stereotyped in comedy? You’re often referred to as deadpan and self-deprecating.

Yes, life is infuriating like that. You can only moan about that if you can’t take any of the blame for it, though. There are certain rods you make for your own back. You want to meet and confound expectations. You want people to think, “God, he can really dance”. I would be surprised as anyone if that was the reaction.

Miles Jupp, Brighton Dome, Church Street, Friday, February 3, 8pm, £19, call 01273 709709