"Sometimes I get star struck and have to pinch myself that I’m talking to one of my idols."

Over the last few months, Paul has also thrown himself into working for Comic Relief again, and has teamed up with Save the Children.

"I was in social services for years, so it’s a sort of throwback to those days," he explains. "You get out to South Africa to a refugee camp, and you see how people are living, and you realise you can’t enjoy your life until you’ve done something, whatever it is.

"You start worrying about these kids. One kid over there, Tatu, I’m very fond of. Sometimes I’ll go online to see what the weather’s like there, and find myself worrying if he’s cold.

"It’s good to get out there and see what real life is."

And Paul says that the tougher areas of Africa hold no fear for a lad born and raised in Merseyside. "Are you joking?" he laughs. "I was in the Toxteth riots. I came home and my mum said ‘Bloody hell, get out, you smell like a bonfire!’

"I was caught up in the LA riots, and I was caught up in the Bristol riots and the poll tax riots. I love a good riot. I think I should open up a riot consultancy."

* PAUL O’GRADY returns to Channel 4 weekdays, at 5pm