GYLES Brandreth has always had a passionate love affair with the English language.

And so it's no surprise he's finally written a show about it.

Lying somewhere between popular lecture and after-dinner speech, Word Power gets through quite a lot of territory. Beautiful examples of the use of language, the the dangers of auto-correct, the erosion of diction on TV and the art of euphonics, which is the pleasing sounds certain words make.

He says: "I love everything about the English language. English is the richest language in the world. There are 500,000 words in the English dictionary. The unfortunate French only have 100,000 words in their vocabulary – and that includes “le weekend”. Language is what makes us human. As the philosopher Bertrand Russell said 'No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor but honest. Only words can do that'.

"Language is also power. Many people reckon that Barack Obama became 44th President of the United States because of his way with words. And language defines you. I only remember the 43rd President of the United States because of his way with words because George W Bush was the guy who said 'The trouble with the French is they don’t have a word for entrepreneur'."

As well as serving up plenty of nuggets of interesting information, he illustrates it all with anecdotes galore, from first-hand stories involving the likes of Denis Thatcher and Sir Kingsley Amis to theatrical yarns about Ralph Richardson and the melodramatic Shakespearean Donald Woolfitt.

There's even one about American popster Miley Cyrus.

"I met Miley in a lift at the BBC," he reveals. "She is famous for her ‘twerking’ you know but she seemed to think she had invented the word. I told her twerking was what’s known as a 'portmanteau' word, combining two words in one and has been around since the early 1800s. It’s a mix of twist and jerk. She kindly said she’d come to see my show so if you come look out for Miley. You may be there on the same night."

Born in Germany in 1948, Gyles moved to London with his family when he was three.

Educated at Bedales School and New College, Oxford, Gyles is a regular on Radio 4’s Just A Minute, as well as a familiar face on QI and Have I Got News for You.

A former MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government, he has also written a number of books, including a biography of the Queen and the series of Victorian murder mystery novels which features Oscar Wilde as his detective.

But his stand-up comedy all started in a rather odd way with a support slot for Bernard Manning.

He adds: “My last experience was in 1969 and it has taken me that long to recover.

“I was on this ITV talent show and I got spotted by an agent who obviously thought I was God’s gift to comedy. He lined me up with a gig at a club in Manchester supporting, of all people, Bernard Manning.

“So I went on and you can imagine with my voice just what they thought of me, but they stayed. They weren’t laughing, but they all had smiles on their faces and then I realised Bernard had organised two topless go-go dancers to stand behind me, gyrating to my jokes.”

Now he's back where it all began.

He says: "When I lost my seat, I wondered what to do next. Someone suggested I take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe and I did. And I was very lucky. The show won awards and five star reviews. Since then I have taken three more shows to Edinburgh and I’ve been just as lucky with them. I try to create a show about a subject I love and that I think will interest and amuse people. Word Power is my favourite show so far.

"I love words," he continues. "I love playing with words. I love thinking about words. Why do people recite at a play and play at a recital? A slim chance and a fat chance are the same thing really, but a wise man and a wise guy are opposites. When the stars are out, they are visible. When the lights are out, they are invisible. I love all that. And, happily, I’m not alone."

Following the other two touring shows, this is Gyles' biggest one to date with venues lined up all over the country.

"I go where they’ll have me," he jokes. "No, seriously, I love touring the length and breadth of the UK. As anyone who knows me from being a reporter for The One Show on BBC1, I am out and about all over the country all the time.

"I have literally been from Land’s End to John O’Groats. With a stage show I love to go to beautiful theatres in places I know (like the Swansea Grand or the Richmond Theatre). I love going to theatres with a history and heritage. In this show I tell some stories about great actors of the past and their amazing way with words, so it’s exciting to be appearing in the sorts of theatres they appeared in.

"My wife was born in Wales, my parents and grandparents came from Lancashire and Cheshire, my teddy bear collection is soon moving to Newby Hall in North Yorkshire, so really wherever I go I’m happy to be. What I really like is a town where I can get a nice cup of tea and a toasted tea-cake before the show."

Gyles Brandreth’s Word Power

Colchester Arts Centre,

Church Street, Colchester.

April 9. Doors open 8pm, show starts 8:30pm.

£19, £18 concessions. 01206 500900.

www.colchesterartscentre.com

Also at;

Palace Theatre,

London Road, Southend.

Sunday, April 3. 5pm.

£20. 01702 351135

www.southendtheatres.org.uk

The Queen's English according to Gyles Brandreth:

"Her Majesty The Queen is now the longest-reigning monarch in our history. I’m told that Her Majesty sometimes watches the TV word game Countdown – she prefers the racing, but she watches Countdown. And she likes ‘doing the crossword’. So Her Majesty enjoys word play and, of course, she speaks the Queen’s English.

"I’m the proud patron of The Queen’s English Society. We’re a group of word enthusiasts who think good English matters. Why? Because, yes, you can get by with grunts, gestures and occasional expletives – but to get the best out of life you need words. All the research shows that the more effectively people use language the more successful and the happier they are.

"A great English actress, Dame Sibyl Thorndike (who lived to be 93), kept her mind agile by learning a poem by heart every day. If you can’t find the time to learn a poem a day, try learning a word a day instead. Playing with words will increase your vocabulary, willy-nilly. And will help you live longer keeping your wits about you – like Sibyl Thorndike and The Queen.

"Willy-nilly, by the way, comes from the Old English phrase Will ye or will ye not? Did you know that? You didn’t? Well, now you do."