Julian Clary on turning 50: 'It's a comedy age!'

Julian Clary has described 50 as 'a comedy age'.

The comedian and writer turns 50 on May 25 and says: "It's not as bad as you imagine - it sounds funny, 50, it sounds like a comedy age and it's so far away from your 20s."

He continued: "I feel a sense of survival and there are certain things you've achieved by the time you get to 50 that when you're in your 20s you're worried about, 'Will I do this, will I do that?'. Well I was. So now I can tick certain things off and that's done and no one can take that away, so it's not bad actually."

The comic - who competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 - said he doesn't seek out TV work, he takes what comes his way.

Julian said: "I don't go looking actually, I have learnt that things come to you because you can never think, 'Oh, I think when I am nearly 50 I'll start ballroom dancing'. It just sort of presented itself and I thought, 'Oh, that might be a challenge.'

"I'm doing my tour in the autumn, that's something I haven't done for about six years and I thought, 'Well, what do I want to do in my 50th year that would be really self-contained and I can control and that I will enjoy?' I thought, 'I will have a book out and then I'll tour and that will be that year done'."