I believe in luck and fate'

Comedian, novelist and actor Jenny Eclair on her success, marriage and why she won't leave London

- JORDAN PARAMOR

When Jenny Eclair isn't busy helping to look after her beloved grandson Arlo, two, who she describes as 'the light of my life', you can find her pottering around in the garden, working on new book projects on her computer and touring the country.

This autumn, she embarks on her new nationwide tour with her new one-woman show, Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live!, based on her 2024 memoir of the same name.

The 65-year-old mum-of-one is no stranger to taking to the road, having toured extensively in the past, which is something she loves. 'I have a driver now, so I wait until we get to the gig, then I show off for two hours, have a glass of wine and we come home, and it's as simple as that!'

'I know I'm really fortunate having a driver. Travelling out of London is a pig and it's stressful, but I don't have to do the driving. I can't drive at night because I'm too blind; I can't see. I've never driven on a motorway so it would take me three days to get anywhere. I've got total motorway-phobia. I'm happy to go round the Elephant and Castle, and Shepherd's Bush, all the crazy bits of London, but put me on a wide-open road and I freak out.'