The stars were aligned for me

What was it like getting the golden buzzer when you appeared on America's Got Talent?

- VENTRILOQUIST PAUL ZERDIN TELLS MARION MCMULLEN

It came during what they call the judge's cut and winning it, well, I didn’t see that coming at all. I worked really hard and my aim was to get to the finals and get some exposure. I didn’t expect to win it. I was just making sure if I got through to another round I had it mapped out what I was doing and it was all planned in my head. (Laughs) I think the stars were aligned for me.

Did you get much time to celebrate the 2015 win?

Not really. The press office at NBC move in and march you around for the next three days doing back-to-back interviews and there was not much time to celebrate.

It was an intense time and then I came home to the UK because I had commitments. It was just a bonkers time.

I was playing in Vegas and Nigel Havers came over to heckle me. It was very funny. We are great friends, he’s a bit like an older, naughty brother, and I knew he was coming, but had no idea what he had planned. He had never been to Vegas before and couldn't believe it.

Is your time now split between the UK and America?

I have a residency in Vegas and I've got a 31-date UK tour coming up with a new show called Jaw Drop. Jet lag never gets any easier, but I find if you don’t drink alcohol or eat on a flight that helps. They say it takes a day to recover for every hour you are in a different time zone so it normally takes me about a week.