PACKED with a string of killer gags, Pun Gent is a show not-to-be-missed.

Remembering them all and in the right order is the tricky part, says comic Stewart Francis, who's coming to Bradford in November.

“I approach it the way I do a script, so there are chunks that lead on to other bits while one joke will tell me that I’m at the end of a certain chunk," he says. "It’s the only way I can do it. But the beauty of being a one-liner guy is that while there’s a flow, I could still pop a joke in from the middle of nowhere that I might have forgotten to do earlier and it won’t be distracting: it’s just another one-liner.”

The UK-based Canadian, who has been writing and performing jokes for a quarter of a century, has a series of sell-out tours behind him (previously he’s been on the road with the likes of Tour De Francis and Outstanding In His Field).

He doesn't shy away from using close-to-the-bone material that may touch a raw nerve in some quarters. Not that he would fire them off one after another.

“For me, comedy works with the element of surprise,” he has said. “So I like doing a couple of kitten jokes and then something dark, as that catches people off-guard and is beneficial to the joke.”

Coming to the UK eight years ago was the turning point for Francis. He had worked here part-time, but being a permanent resident lifted his art to a level he had aimed for.

But he does not believe he has reached his peak.

He is always optimistic that his current tour is his last and hopes that a sitcom will come his way so he could channel his energies into that.

He has written a half-hour sitcom script much of which is based on an exaggerated version of his life. He hopes it will eventually get snapped up for a pilot. “I loved writing it,” he says. “Time just flew by.” The hardest part, he adds, was editing it, and taking out bits that were not needed.

As well as pursuing the sitcom dream, Francis will be taking his comedy to new heights in early October when he takes part in Stand-Up On Everest, a Save The Children charity event also featuring fellow Canadians Glenn Wool and Craig Campbell, New Zealander Rhys Darby, and Irish wags Tommy Tiernan with a special guest TBC. Accompanied by around 50 comedy fans (and medics), they’ll take part in a nine-day trek to perform on a purpose-built stage at Base Camp.

He's limbering up in readiness, with visits to the gym and, he jokes, closer to the departure date will be using the stairs more often.

*Stewart Francis is appearing at St George's Hall on Thursday, November 19 at 8pm. For tickets call (01274) 432000.