COMEDIAN Omid Djalili, one of the stars of the period BBC series, 'Dickensian', has sound advice for any would-be actor with half an eye on applying for drama college.

He said: "Forget everything you learned in theatre studies. Nuanced variations on the same screeching Arab accent will get you further than you ever imagined."

But when asked about his varied career to date, Omid will not dwell on this topic and he talks about horses instead.

And this, so it transpires, is something of a regular theme with him.

Omid said: "My career has evolved like the weird little prehistoric horse, the Hypohippus, which used to have three toes but then developed hooves. So no one really cares or can say for certain if it actually ever existed."

Galloping on to Dickensian, where he plays the role of the beefy Mr Venus, Omid explains: "He is a taxidermist who makes a fleeting appearance in ‘Our Mutual Friend”, Dickens’s last novel.

"He has an inappropriate liaison with a police horse. A real shame they didn’t include that story line in the BBC1 series.

"But I got to wear a hat. I love hats. It’s an underrated fashion accessory. Mine gave me an added ‘Pimp of Bethlehem’ dimension, which was unexpected."

The good news is, Omid is bringing his unique brand of humour to Worcestershire, as part of his 2016 tour.

He will perform at The Regal Cinema in Evesham, on April 9.

What, I wonder, can The Regal audience expect?

"A rollicking good night out," says Omid; and little will be taboo.

In the past, he has lampooned terrorists, whom he describes as "so called human beings".

By laughing at them, "we take a collective step closer to removing the fear in society that they seek to create".

So how does he usually go about developing a new comedy show?

Omid said: "I write stuff on my computer and keep it under wraps until I test it. The rest that doesn’t work, I tweet."

He claims to test his stuff on "newly arrived immigrants".

And what about bad gigs? What was his worst gig so far?

Omid said: "I can’t respond to that question without hearing '… so far?' But I suppose until this moment it has to be Haverhill Slaughterhouse. I don’t like performing behind chicken wire, even if it protects me from flying bottles."

In Dickensian, Omid has scenes in which he has to massage a shirtless Inspector Bucket, while murmuring soft words of wisdom to the policeman. Has this, I wonder, won him a new fanbase?

Omid said: "The only other group who are watching it apart from Dickens fans are the Brighton branch of the Hairy Bears who have emailed to say that they are enjoying it immensely, but could I show some more chest hair? Also 'please please please more scenes of you massaging Inspector Bucket'."

Omid is set to appear in Sky 1's new series, ‘Stan Lee’s Lucky Man’. What can us tell us about that?

"It’s dark and tantalizing", says Omid.

"It’s about the power of having luck. They’re calling it ‘Stan Lee’s Lucky Man’ because Stan Lee wants to prove that if you wear the lucky bracelet you can have the kind of luck that allows you to have your name before anything you really covet or desire.

"Stan Lee’s Cillet Bang is due to hit Argos shelves at any moment."

Omid has a glittering array of film credits to his credit. Which one really fills him with the most pride?

Omid said: "I don’t have a favourite. The thing about movies is that they are filmed and captured in that state forever. The reason I love stand up is because there is always the opportunity to improve it and make it better."

As for television, - after Dickensian and Mr Venus, what glories might yet arrive on our screens?

Omid said: "I’m a fan of the mega mix so I like the concept. I’m looking forward to the next one where they mash up the films of Woody Allen.

"It would be great to see Martin Landau’s character in ‘Crimes and Misdemeanours’ have an inappropriate liaison with the police horse which made a fleeting appearance in Annie Hall."