IF you’re the kind of person who judges your comics by their TV appearances, then you’re unlikely to have formed much of an opinion about Paul Chowdhry.

The 35-year-old stand-up has been doing his thing for more than a decade, but throughout he’s kept his material confined to the live comedy circuit and its associated stages.

Unless you count YouTube of course, which currently hosts around three hours of his material.

Currently in the midst of his debut UK headline tour, the part-time actor and full-time comedian, is loving the chance to have more than a 20-minute slot to get his many points across.

“It’s such a different feeling to have that time and space to yourself,” says Paul, who is based in London.

“The show is just me – no support acts – and sometimes it can run for two-and-a-half hours.”

You have been warned people ... go easy on the shandy.

Not PC is the title of the tour, and as fans of Paul’s will expect, the content will do more than just look for laughs.

“Although that is always my first job,” says the comic without hesitation.

“Making people laugh is what I’m paid to do. If I can make them think while they’re there, then that’s a bonus.

“(In the show) I play with preconception and stereotypes and look at the idea that one person’s ‘politically correct’ is another person’s ‘offensive’. One person’s dark sense of humour breaks past another person’s offensive barrier. It’s all very subjective and I wanted to see where that idea goes.

“But, of course, ultimately you want to have a point to what you’re saying.

“This show is for anyone who loves raw stand-up comedy,” he continues. “If you’re from a community, or not from a community, if you’re black, white or BNP, come and see the show as it’ll be a memorable event. You will leave with food for thought as you go to a takeaway on the way home.”

And unlike a lot of comedy shows these days, you won’t find Paul Chowdhry simply repeating a scripted show night after night, safe in the knowledge that the laughs are a knocking bet.

“There is a lot of improvisation, which dictates the direction of the show,” he explains.

“I suppose I am quite well-known for that ... and it’s not pre-written improvisation either,” he adds with a knowing scoff.

“I’m not the kind of act who can sit down and write a two-hour show.

“For me, stand-up is more organic than that. This show began at Edinburgh last year, but since then it has grown and changed continuously. And by the time I get to Newcastle, it will have changed some more.

“Hopefully people will leave knowing that no one else is going to hear or see what they just have. I can see why not knowing which way the show is going to go on any given night might be scary to some, but I love it. It’s how I make sure I don’t get bored.”

Knowing that stand-up was never going to be boring was one of the things which attracted Paul to the job, and was abundantly clear right from the off.

“My first gig was about 10 years ago at an open mic night in London. It was interesting,” he laughs, before elaborating.

“I was on right at the end. It went really well. I mean it was only five minutes of material, which seemed like an eternity at the time, but that’s what everyone starts off with.

“I’d never thought you could make a living out of doing it – I mean there’s a big difference between making your mates laugh and making a room of people who have paid to laugh, laugh.

“Anyway, then a couple of guys decided to hijack the place and mugged everyone. I sneaked out the back door and decided I wanted to do comedy forever.”

Paul Chowdhry: Not PC will be at The Journal Tyne Theatre on June 16. Call 0844 493 9999 or visit www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk for tickets.