Frank Skinner ready for the big 60 as he makes his return to Room 101

He quips: "At the moment, there's quite a big debate in the house about whether I should have a party or not. As someone said, 'it might be your last chance to have a party with an '0' on the end'."

Chuckling, he adds: "It's an odd thing; 60 feels undeniably old, but I don't feel old, or do I? I don't know how 'old' feels.

"I ought to find some sort of distinctive way to celebrate," he concludes. "Tattoo, maybe? I think I'd probably have my name and address, just to plan ahead."

See a clip of Room 101 starring Wolverhampton-born Meera Syal:

Naturally witty, but forever self-effacing, Skinner - born Christopher Graham Collins - may not look his age, dressed in a dapper brown suit and floral shirt combo, paired with a trendy salt and pepper quiff, but his extensive CV exposes an impressively lengthy career in showbiz.

From his early days on the stand-up circuit three decades ago, to scoring laughs beside fellow funnyman David Baddiel on Baddiel And Skinner Unplanned and cult hit Fantasy Football, the award-winning West Bromwich-born star and Baggies fan has become an entertainment stalwart, flitting between prime time chat shows, comedy panels, live stand-up and tours.

If he needs reminding of his latest whereabouts, however, he'd best tune into BBC One's Room 101.

He is reprising hosting duties on the long-running comedy show, which sees three celebrities compete each week to have their pet hates banished to the notorious Room 101 - inspired by George Orwell's terrifying novel 1984.

Skinner - who took over the role from Paul Merton back in 2012 - is set to welcome an entirely new line-up this series.

Guests will include Lily Allen, Davina McCall, Rylan Clark-Neal, Ross Kemp, David Mitchell and Catherine Tate. With peeves including snobby shop assistants and minimiser bras, he beams as he admits he's often left surprised by his guests' gripes.

He said: "Sometimes I think people have chosen things in a light-hearted way, and then you get quite a lot of real venom."

"Those are the best ones; I like it when people get furious!"

And, he observes, Brits love to moan, noting: "Negativity is very popular. If you hear someone who's moaning, it can be a bit of a nightmare, but it's not as bad as people who are happy about everything.

"I always think of that thing with relationships - that people who are in a good relationship are not good company, because you don't want to hear anyone talk about how loved-up they are.

"But people who are having a terrible, traumatic time, I want to hear more and more for all sorts of reasons!"

Making light of another whine about set-up paparazzi shots, he notes: "The audience often really cheer stuff; there is quite a lot of malice and discontent out there, and I like being the person who generally tries to argue against even the most negative of things."

l Room 101 makes it return to BBC One on Friday.