GYLES Brandreth is, in his own words, a word fanatic.

"Language is what makes us human," he says. "As the philosopher Bertrand Russell said: 'No matter how eloquently a dog may bark, he cannot tell you that his parents were poor but honest. Only words can do that'."

Gyles Brandreth celebrates words in his UK tour - Word Power! - which he describes as "an uproarious magic carpet ride around the world of the English language".

"It includes stories from my life in the theatre and politics. It’s a show for people who love live theatre and who enjoy listening to Just A Minute or watching QI," he says.

Founder of the National Scrabble Championships and president of the Association of British Scrabble Players, Gyles is a regular on Countdown’s Dictionary Corner.

The former MP has many guises - novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster, political diarist, theatre producer, report for BBC1's The One Show and all-round wit and word-maestro.

"I was an MP - until the people spoke. When I lost my seat someone suggested I take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe. I did, and it won awards and five star reviews," says Gyles. "Since then I've taken three more shows to Edinburgh. I try to create shows about a subject I love. Word Power! is my favourite so far.

"English is the richest language in the world. There are 500,000 words in the English dictionary. The unfortunate French only have 100,000 words in their vocabulary – and that includes 'le weekend'."

"With just one word - "Abracadabra" - you conjure up a whole world of magic. With three words - "I love you" - you can change somebody’s life. And with six you can ruin it: “I don’t love you any more.”

"Words are everything to all of us, whether we realise it or not. The way you use words will have an impact on the friends you make, the job you get. They’re the building blocks of every relationship."

Does he have a favourite word?

"It changes from day to day," says Gyles. "I’m currently rather liking the word 'yex'. It’s an old word for a hiccup, very useful for Scrabble."

Should we be worried about the impact of the internet on our language?

"No," he insists. "The English language is rich because it isn’t pure. New words are arriving all the time and lots of them have come along with new technology. I like acronyms like YOLO. I like fun abbreviations, I love new words. Of course, there are dangers in the brave new world of texting, some of the funny ones feature in Word Power.

He's not a fan of the cliche.

"Clichés are lazy. During the last election I thought I’d go mad if I heard another politician talking about ‘hard working families’. I like language that is fresh and surprising. The word 'iconic' is over-used. The word 'passionate' is over-used. I passed a white van today, on the side it said: ‘Passionate about plumbing’. Please!"

When it comes to a love of words, it seems Gyles is in good company. "I’m told that the Queen sometimes watches Countdown," says Gyles. "She prefers the racing, but she watches Countdown. And she likes doing the crossword. So Her Majesty enjoys word play - and, of course, she speaks the Queen’s English.

"I’m the proud patron of The Queen’s English Society. We’re a group of word enthusiasts who think good English matters. Why? Because yes, you can get by with grunts, gestures and occasional expletives - but to get the best out of life you need words. All the research shows that the more effectively people use language, the more successful and the happier they are.

* Gyles Brandreth is at King's Hall, Ilkley, on Monday, May 16. For tickets call (01274) 432000.