FOLLOWING a mammoth 110-date tour of his show, Schmuck for a Night, funny man Omid Djalili has announced a brand new batch of gigs for the autumn, including a night in Wimborne.

The stand-up and acclaimed actor will be at the town's Tivoli Theatre on November 28 as part of his latest 26-date tour with a show "so current sometimes audiences won’t laugh until they get home and turn on the TV".

Djalili's credits range from Hollywood movies and television to live productions on the West End stage, but he is looking forward to returning to being a "schmuck".

"You have to be a schmuck to do comedy in today’s climate," he says.

"I’m embracing the schmuck in me to take on the big issues of our day. Plus, it’s a word that ends with ‘uck’ which can only be a good thing."

Djalili, who has just finished filming for a Disney live-action production of The Nutcracker alongside Morgan Freeman and Keira Knightly, agrees this show is mellower than previous tours, explaining he has become a little less frenetic.

"I used to dance every two minutes in between the stand up. I can’t even remember why. It was mentioned to me that when I danced audiences were laughing at me not with me. So it was either stop dancing or ban my manager from the gigs."

The show touches on Brexit, ISIS and Trump but Djalili says the content will likely change while he's on the road, a challenge he is relishing.

"Although, my main challenge is getting the audience in a good mood again after my support act Boothby Graffoe has been on. Sometimes people haven’t finished boo-ing until a few minutes into my act," he laughs.

"I have no party political agenda. But I'll talk about what's going on around us trying to contribute to the discourse… in fact that’s what the show should have been called: ‘Schmuck Talks About What’s Going On Around Him Trying To Contribute To The Discourse’."

:: Omid Djalili, Schmuck for a Night, is at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne on November 28. Tickets and information are available from tivoliwimborne.co.uk or 01202 885566.