Cold Feet star John Thomson says he knows from experience that Geordies have a great sense of humour. He'll be hoping the North-East audience bring it with them when he performs at this year's Teenage Cancer Trust Bandstand at The Sage in Gateshead as he'll be in his role as comedian rather than actor.

He's on a star-studded bill that includes Jimmy Nail, Gavin Webster, Ruby Turner, Sean Ruane, Jill Halfpenny, Roger Daltry and Vic Reeves.

The show aims to raise funds to support young people with cancer across the North-East and to help build a new state-of-the-art unit at Newcastle's RVI.

The charity's first large-scale music event outside London last year, held at The Sage, raised more than £50,000.

At the charity gig, Thomson will become reformed club comic Bernard Righton - a politically correct Bernard Manning. "I deconstruct all the old gags," explains Thomson, who's previously adopted the persona for other charity gigs.

He's banking on the Geordie sense of humour finding it funny. "Sometimes it backfires down South because they don't relate to Manning," he says.

"I did Bernard Righton recently at a charity show for a new baby unit and was very nervous, but it went down a storm. Part of that was performing on my own patch, but I do find northern audiences warmer."

He also finds that adrenalin carries him through a performance. He trained as an actor but turned to comedy to earn his Equity union card.

Some people went round schools clowning, other formed singing groups. "I thought I'd have a go at stand-up," he says.

"I started getting better and better at it and, as a stand-up, I was always getting jobs. That introduced me to character stand-up and then character comedy."

On TV, his early comedy work included Fat Bob in Steve Coogan's Paul Calf comedy and in the sketch-based The Fast Show. "It was a good way into the business. The nice thing was that I was an actor doing stand-up as opposed to a stand-up trying to act," says Thomson.

Both those shows attracted a cult following. Then came his big break in ITV's Cold Feet as one of the half-a-dozen friends at the centre of this comedy-drama.

"I didn't realise the magnitude of it. I had done a small drama, Playing The Field, before Cold Feet. They said they wanted me for Cold Feet and they cast around me," he says.

He adds that co-star James Nesbitt - and he adopts a Irish accent to repeat the line - joked at the time: "I don't want to work with no comedian".

He thinks things would have been different if he'd been American, as they seem to find comedians becoming actors more acceptable. He points to those from Saturday Night Live who've gone on to greater thing. "There is a definite stigma against comics in this country, especially after what was branded alternative comedy," he says.

"I think television is crying out for variety. Britain's Got Talent was a breath of fresh air. These days things are done on such a massive scale, it's all an obsession with fame."

The success of Cold Feet led to other acting work. At one time, he was doing three shows at once. "That was insane, I'd never do that again," he says. "There's less work now really, but that's good because I'm a family man."

He regrets that the legal series New Street Law didn't get a third series from the BBC. Now he's currently filming an episode of the Stephen Fry ITV1 drama, Kingdom.

As for a much-rumoured Cold Feet reunion, he believes that's exactly what it is - a rumour, although adds that the cast have all said they'd be interested in returning to the roles.

He doesn't watch old episodes when they're shown. "I don't watch myself. All you do is criticise yourself," he says.

"That's why I would hate to do straight theatre. All you have is the applause at the half and at the end. With comedy they let you know when you're doing it."

Thomson is also writing his autobiography as well as some fiction, which he's hoping will eventually be adapted in a screenplay. He admits he's a bit lazy work-wise when it comes to writing. But he has been to view potential offices, having found that writing in Manchester Central Library wasn't the right place to concentrate.

* Tickets for the Teenage Cancer Trust Bandstand at The Sage, Gateshead, on September 22 are priced £60 and £40. They are available by calling 0191-4434661 or from www.teenagecancer

trust.org/bandstand

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

www.thesagegateshead.co.uk