Patrick Kielty wants to return to stand-up

Patrick Kielty is planning a return to stand-up later this year.

The comic wants to hit the road in the autumn, after the upcoming series of his BBC1 chat show ends.

He hasn't performed stand-up in 18 months, and admits he may need to do some work to sound fresh.

"I'd like to do some proper stand-up dates, in theatres," he said. "When you do stand-up you have to have something to say. There's nothing worse than going out there with old material."

Kielty adds he tries not to see many other comedians' acts: "You can tell by a band's record if they've listened to a lot of Beatles music because the influence comes through.

"I try not to overdose too much on other comedians because little things start slipping into your act, and you can tell who is influenced by Python or whoever.

"When I'm writing stand-up I just try to keep to my own ideas because sometimes, subliminally, things seep in."

The 31-year-old returns to BBC1 for a fourth series of Patrick Kielty Live on August 9.