Griff Rhys Jones to appear at Torch Theatre, Milford Haven

His mighty brain never stops, and neither does his tongue.

“There was a time when I was a ‘tour de force’ and now I’m forced to tour, but I come from the theatre so this is where I belong," he said.

"In fact I was probably conceived about a hundred yards from the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff because that’s where my aunty lived.

“Every summer we’d drive down to see her in the Morris Traveller from Midhurst, leaving at 6am, and when we arrived at Penlan where she lived with my grandmother Nain, (my grandmother was from north Wales), aunty would be there to greet us with talcum powder all over her and bright red lipstick that went all over our cheeks.

"And she’d say ‘Griff bach, I’ve only got you salad for lunch’ and it was boiled egg, weeping ham and Heinz salad cream. And for a growing boy of eight, that was always a disappointment.”

There’s no doubt that Griff Rhys Jones captures his audience within seconds of opening his mouth.

And once that mouth is opened, it resolutely refuses to close. He moves effortlessly from one beautifully documented story to the next, invariably ending his sentences with a chuckle, and while each story is often totally unrelated, his power of delivery is phenomenal.

Griff Rhys Jones visited The Torch earlier this week (Image: Newsquest)

He sits back in his chair, runs his hands through his tousled hair and turns those piercing grey eyes across the stage at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven.

“And this is why I find supporting the arts, particularly when they involve young people, so incredibly important," he said.

“A lot of these people come from disadvantaged backgrounds and every time I work alongside them I always wonder what benefits have been done? Because when you work in the theatre, the benefits are tangible.

"In a theatre you have to talk to people, you have to be part of a team, you have to work together, and this is so, so important.”

Griff Rhys Jones maintains an intensely strong allegiance with Pembrokeshire after buying and restoring a traditional farmhouse near Fishguard which he visits on a regular basis with his wife, Jo.

During one of their visits, they discovered the Point Youth Centre in Fishguard and, true to form, Griff decided to produce a play which charted the last invasion of Britain.

“I had an incredible assistant at the time who we called Mr McBlobby because he was a huge 6’ 8” Scotsman with ginger hair," he said.

"He helped organise this incredible show which we put on at the farmhouse and what was astonishing was that the audience wasn’t made up of the tourists who we expected, but the Mrs Joneses and Mrs Morgans who wanted to see what we’d done to the place.”

Whilst preparing for the production, Griff needed the backup of a professional theatre technician and naturally the Torch Theatre came to his rescue. As a result, he was appointed patron of both the Point Youth Centre, Fishguard and the Torch Theatre.

Griff Rhys Jones meeting members of Fishguard's Point Youth Club (Image: Newsquest)

“And I hate to admit it, but this is the first time I’ve visited The Torch. But at least I’m here, which is more than can be said for the other patron, Judi Dench, who’s never been anywhere near the place in her life. But then she’s a very busy lady.”

Griff Rhys Jones will be returning to the Torch on November 13 when he performs his latest one-man show, the title of which is yet to be announced.

“It’s very much a work in progress for a tour I’ll be doing next year and at the moment I haven’t a clue what it’s going to be about," he said. "But I know that it’s going to be made up of stories. Lots of stories."

Griff explained that the stand-up idea originated several years ago when he was asked to do a show following the death of Mel Smith with whom he had worked for many years on shows including 'Not the Nine O Clock News' and 'Alas Smith and Jones'

"It was based on our time together and it was naturally based on stories of our time together. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve carried on," he explained.

“But the chances are that even when I’ve decided on a theme for next year’s tour, by the time the tour gets underway the show will have changed completely. And this is what I enjoy – doing things so unpreparedly.”

I ask him how long his show is going to last, and his reply is immediate.

“How long do you want it to last? And this is the thing. The stories can go on and on, but I think we should stick to two hours as people will have had enough, so for the first half they can listen to my stories, then they can have a drink then they can come back and ask me some questions.

“I know that young people haven’t got a clue who I am and these are the ones I want to start asking questions - and the harder they are, the better.

“I’m here to share and the talk isn’t just for Christmas. It’s for all year round.”

The Griff Rhys Jones show takes place at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on Sunday, November 13. All proceeds will be shared between the Point Youth Centre, Fishguard and the Torch Youth Theatre, Milford Haven.