Welsh funny man Rod Woodward is set to perform at Epsom Playhouse later this month.

Woodward was introduced to comedy by his late father, sports writer Karl Woodward and says: "He was my best pal. He had a great sense of humour."

With the support of his dad and under the influence of comedy icon Robin Williams, Woodward was determined to pursue a career in comedy.

When he first revealed this idea to the careers advisor at his secondary school, he was told: "Get a proper job, do it in your spare time."

And with that, Woodward followed in his father’s footsteps and started studying journalism at Cardiff University.

During this time, Woodward performed whenever he had a spare moment and was given his first break as a crowd warm-up when he was 20.

Woodward’s career has rocketed since then and he has performed with Russell Brand, Peter Kay and Paddy McGuiness. He also went on to win of BBC TV series Funny Business.

His most cherished performance was at the Royal Variety Performance in 2014 and describes the evening as an "absolute best for me".

He talks of the night fondly and remembers this as one of the last performances his father saw and also his biggest crowd.

His familiar, warm style stems from performing at corporate events which he describes as "the toughest gigs" because there is a fight to get the audience’s attention.

This year will be his first extensive tour and his supporting act will be his best friend. When asked what he is most looking forward to, he quickly replies: "The hotels, the posh biscuits."

For an audience unfamiliar with his work, he states that his tour will have: "A few surprises, there might even be a little bit of music in there. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag."

For fans of Rhod Gilbert and Rob Brydon, book your tickets now to see Rod Woodward.

Rod Woodward; Epsom Playhouse, Ashley Avenue, Epsom; Tuesday, May 19; 8pm; £18.50; call 01372 74255; visit www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk; visit www.rodwoodward.co.uk