Three Alex Horne North-East tour dates

NOMINATED for Best Show at 2014 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Alex Horne brings his curious contraption to Barnard Castle Comedy Festival, Durham's Gala Theatre and Stockton's Arc next month.

Using inspiration from the board game Mousetrap and the Honda advert where all the car parts collide to make something happen, Horne introduces us to Monsieur Butterfly, his most ridiculous and potentially brilliant show yet.

"Of course, Mousetrap was a game for kids which meant you lost the rubber band and the ball-bearing would always fall off the chute. And that Honda ad actually took nine months to set up, cost a million pounds and was still only successful on the 660th attempt," he says.

Horne will attempt something similar in 60 minutes, but he has just one chance and has not spent a million pounds. According to rumour, the comedian invested around £85 on eBay, made morethan ten trips to Wickes and bought a second-hand van.

"Stupidly ambitious, logistically problematic, definitely dangerous, this is the show I have wanted to make for a decade. Finally, I will be Monsieur Butterfly. One flap of my delicate wings and mayhem will prevail," says Horne's website.

The three-time TV Countdown champion, award-winning comedian and leader of 12-legged comedy-jazz juggernaut The Horne Section, Horne is about to star alongside Greg Davies in new Dave TV series Taskmaster based on the critically-acclaimed live show which ran at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010 and 2011.

* Saturday, July 18, Barnard Castle, Witham Hall. Monday, July 20, Durham Gala Theatre and Thursday, July 23, Stockton Arc.

Box Office: alexhorne.com

Viv Hardwick