Jim Davidson speaks ahead of Birmingham show

There's been the wives – five, since you're asking – and the financial problems his divorces have caused, including bankruptcy.

There have been un-PC rants that earned him a reputation for racism and homophobia.

Oh, and then there were the allegations of sexual impropriety, which prompted a police investigation and frightened the life out of the fella – as well as leaving him with a £100,000 legal bill.

But there have been just as many highs. He hosted hits like Big Break and The Generation Game, and was lauded for his work in adult panto.

He has worked so hard to promote and support British armed forces he was awarded an OBE, while his TV career included a successful run in Hell's Kitchen and a victorious, winning appearance on Celebrity Big Brother (CBB).

He'll return to the West Midlands tomorrow to headline the New Alexandra Theatre, in Birmingham, in a new show that reflects on his 40 years in showbusiness. Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Davidson has created an autobiographical play that covers the highs and lows of his career, called 40 Years On.

It is a heartfelt and hilarious reflection on his legendary career. Funny, poignant and at times searingly honest, it looks back at Jim's triumphs and tragedies, from his breakthrough on New Faces in 1976, through to winning CBB in 2014.

"I'm very much looking forward to sharing 40 Years On with audiences in theatres across the country," the 62-year-old London-born comic says. "The piece is an honest and raw reflection of my life over the last 40 years both in the spotlight and personally.

"Much of my life has been lived out with the nation watching, so what better way to set the record straight and hear the stories but from my perspective and it in my own words."

But before we get into those details, he's already off on one. I tell him I'm calling from Telford. "Telford? Telford has the worst hotel in the world," he shouts. "I stayed there and had a real falling out with them. Holiday Inn. I mentioned it on-stage and there was an outcry from the people locally. But the funny thing is, I got more fan mail than ever because of that."

Poor old Jim. He can't win. Not that he minds. He knows that getting abuse on social media and being criticised by the press is part of the gig.

He shrugs. "You'll never change the haters."

He doesn't mind that others consider him controversial – because controversial is the last thing he considers himself to be.

"I've never been controversial to me, nor the people that like me. It's controversial to some of the people in the press and more often people who read the press but don't see me. I get attacked: Tory, fattist, wife-beating, homophobic. And you never change those people's views. I'm working class and I'm a Tory. That's what it is."

His new show is two-and-a-half-hours long and during the evening he meets fans to sign autographs, giving the money to Care After Combat, a veterans' charity. "Every penny goes there. Even the theatres waive their commission."

The play is fascinating. He talks about winning New Faces and then looks at ups and downs, from winning CBB to being arrested as part of Operation Yewtree.

"It's funny, I make it funny. There's a couple of reflective bits, but not much. I've been shot at a few times, in Bosnia and Beirut. I don't think they were shooting at me – unless they'd seen the show."

He's a big fan of the Midlands. He shot Tiswas in Birmingham having previously performed his first ever concert in Smethwick for the Handsworth Horticultural Club.

"I love the Midlands. Some of my best wives have come from there. Roy Wood is a great mate of mine too. He should have been dead years ago. He's got a liver the size of Walsall, bless him."

His new show doesn't skirt around any issues. He lays it all on the line.

"Honesty is great. It gets things off your chest. I don't mind telling anyone about anything at all. I have never been afraid."

By Andy Richardson