Flying in the wake of September 11 and the problem with metal detectors - it's all material for Australian comedian Adam Hills, as Nick Morrison discovers.

ADAM Hills is bored and lonely, and it's only half-way through his 20-date tour. It's his first solo outing and he's not used to travelling everywhere on his own - he's beginning to regret not taking a support act.

"I didn't want a support act because I wanted to do an hour-and-a-half myself - I have a lot more fun that way - but I didn't consider how lonely it would be, how mind-numbingly boring it is to sit on a train for three hours. I usually take a book with me, then look out the window for a bit," he says.

The Australian comic's solo tour follows his triumphant appearance at last year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, when the acclaim which saw him sell out for the third year in a row was matched by winning the inaugural People's Choice Best of the Fest Award. He has also twice been nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award.

According to The Scotsman, "If you cannot enjoy Adam Hills, you cannot have a pulse". The Guardian was even more effusive: "Hills delivers stand-up so effortlessly brilliant you wonder why some comics get out of bed", and the New York Times praised his "superb comic timing".

"The nicest thing about getting a really good review in Edinburgh is you don't have to go handing out flyers on the street," he says.

His Edinburgh set makes up the second half of his touring show, following a half-hour of stand-up. It makes for a lengthy show, but it's a format he revels in. "I kind of enjoy it: you can make more of a connection with the audience in an hour-and-a-half. In Nottingham I was on stage for about two hours - it depends on how well it's going," he says.

The title of his show, Happy Feet, is taken from an American song of the 30s. It was the Great Depression and people needed cheering up, and Hills sees parallels with today's turbulent times.

"When you are faced with a scary situation, if you can find the lighter side, you can find it easier to deal with," he says. "The show starts off talking about the fear surrounding September 11 and the scary flights I took around that time.

"Whenever I went through airport metal detectors they went off and I was pretty much jumped on by security guards. They were pretty aggressive, until they found out I had an artificial foot, which sets the detectors off. They were pretty much okay after that."

The artificial foot occupies the rest of the second half of his act. He lost his right foot at birth - "there is no real gory story - I wish I could tell you it was a crocodile", he says - and likes to see the audience reaction when he springs the news on them. It also gives another meaning to the title of his show.

"It is only recently that I started talking about it, but there is comedy in it. It is all about releasing tension: if you take something that makes people feel uneasy, they want to have a laugh at the end of it. September 11 and disability are the two things I wanted to talk about - there is always comedy in anything that builds tension."

Hills is in the middle of writing a new show, which he's taking to the Melbourne Comedy Festival, flying back to Australia just three days after the end of his UK tour. What with the travelling and interviews for Melbourne - keeping him up to two in the morning - he's feeling pretty drained, and coming down with a cold, although he's soldiering on.

"It is taking it out of me - I've got two weeks to go and I'm falling apart. I don't want to whinge... a lot of people think it's a very easy job, but most people know there is more to it."

He was complaining about his lot to fellow comic Ed Byrne, before discovering that Byrne was doing a 120-date tour, compared with Hills' 20 dates.

"I was thinking it was too much hard work - I'm such a girl," he says. A whingeing Aussie - makes a change.

* Adam Hills is appearing at The Cornerhouse, Middlesbrough, on Wednesday, 01642-247755 and Newcastle Live Theatre on Thursday 0191-232 1232.