Just 12 months ago, Warren Speed was a stand-up virgin, now he is running two comedy clubs. NICK MORRISON meets a performer getting used to life in the limelight.

EVERYONE has their own way of dealing with the nerves of performing on stage. For some, a stiff drink may do the trick, while for others a bit of Zen meditation is in order. It's a fair bet, though, that few have followed Warren Speed's route to relaxation.

Not only did he dress up as a rabbi - Rabbi Joseph Peculiar to be precise - but he often used to end his routine by stripping down to a pink bikini.

"I think this was partly to give me something to hide behind, but eventually I realised the rabbi wasn't allowing me to show my real self," he says. "One of the factors that successful comedians have is that their true personality shines through. Once I dropped all the rabbi clothing and started performing as myself I found I moved up a gear and felt more comfortable when onstage, and also seemed to be better received by audiences."

But stand-up comedy was originally a backdoor route to success in another field. After writing a few novels, thrillers which were never published, he turned to comedy film scripts, but with similar success.

"I was talking to a few professional comedians and they were saying that if you really want to try and get into comedy, you really need to make a name for yourself in stand-up comedy," says Warren, originally from Great Ayton in North Yorkshire but now living in Tyneside.

"At first I thought there was no way I was going to do that. I have always been a bit of an exhibitionist, and I used to play in a band, but getting up in front of people on your own, with nothing to hide behind, when you have got to write your own material, is something else."

His first foray into stand-up was at a beginners' night at the Hyena Comedy Caf in Newcastle.

"It went quite well. Obviously I was not very good but it wasn't a complete flop. The main thing was remembering all my stuff - you only have five minutes but it seems a lot longer when you're up there.

"I was a complete bag of nerves beforehand but once you are on stage it is not too bad. When you come off stage, you are buzzing."

That was 12 months ago, when Warren, who works in the criminal justice system, threw himself into attending workshops run by professional comedians, picking up tips on improvisation and putting together a 20-minute act. Within about six or seven months he was setting up his own comedy clubs, hiring function rooms in pubs and trying to build up an audience, with clubs now running in Hartlepool and Newcastle.

"There is quite a good comedy scene in the North-East - quite a few acts and we have had a few comedians coming up from London and they have been amazed how many people have been in and how good the atmosphere is.

"I'm getting comedians ringing me up from all around the country trying to get gigs."

Running clubs also calls for a different kind of approach to comedy - trying to interact with the audience more - although it has also seen his writing take a back seat.

"The knack is to make it appear as if it is all coming off the top of your head, but in fact, most of it is scripted. You always have some kind of script to fall back on. I love getting all these comedians from all around the country.

"I'm also doing gigs further afield myself. It is just a hobby more than anything. I would like to get to the stage where I get more gigs around the country, but I don't envisage packing my full-time job in.

"My writing is now focused more on material for my act. I love performing when I can make people laugh. Sometimes you die on stage, but when you go down really well, you feel as if you have entertained people."

* Warren Speed comperes the Cackling Clown Comedy Club, at The Studio, Tower Street, Hartlepool, on Sunday, 8pm. Tickets are £3/£2.5.