Now he would probably make a clever pun about that given half a chance, but we are talking literally here.

For this rapid-fire funnyman reckons some of the best jokes start life as a punchline. "I like word play," he says, "and I work back from the punchline."

For example? "For example, if someone said 'I don't know what people see in them', I'd say 'black holes'."

Very good. The line 'that'll come back to haunt you' is another popular phrase Mr Vine has turned on its head: "A friend of mine bought a boomerang from a ghost. I said 'that'll come back to haunt you'."

And there lies part of the genius of man whose face is best known these days for his co-starring role as Tim in the Lee Mack BBC sitcom Not Going Out - oh, and the current run of celebrity home-nosing show Through The Keyhole.

"I play myself in a way, someone who is a victim," he says of the Beeb hit. "It's more fun playing someone who is a bit of an idiot, the butt of jokes."

As for the Keyhole surgery. "I initially said yes and then no to doing it," recalls Tim, who was first asked to be the subject of the daytime favourite. "But I live in a street with other houses. I don't have a big long drive, although I have a props room worth more than the home."

His quick wit and easy-going demeanour was called upon for the panel of celebs who have to guess the owner of the homes under scrutiny, however.

One subject landed the Surrey-born 41-year-old with a red face. They were checking out the home of Emma Samms, lovely star of '80s soaps Dynasty and The Holbys. "I said on the show that I used to really fancy her and then added 'actually I guess I still do, in case it is her and she is here'."

She was, but Tim says it goes to prove the show isn't fixed, no matter how easily the panel seems to guess the identity of the home owner sometimes. Aside from landing himself in it on the telly - 11 years ago Tim joined Sheffield's Julia Bradbury to help launch Channel 5 with the game show Whittle - Tim previously made a name for himself for the speed of his one liners. Four years ago he broke the Guinness World Record for the most jokes told in an hour with 499, beating the previous record of 362. Each gag had to get a laugh from a paying audience to count towards the record he held until May 2005.

Tim Vine is currently on the road, following his previous Current Puns tour with Punslinger, which began roaming this week. Despite his ability to pun the title actually came from his publicity shot photographer who devised the cowboy look for him. "I like the pic," he confirms, shrugging off our ribbing and delving into a hamper sent to his home as thanks for his doing a charity thing.

While TV involves re-takes and editing, the no safety net rawness of stand-up appears to be where Tim, brother of Newsnight and Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, is most at home.

"I have occasionally had bad ones," he quips.