It's time to hit the road Jack, but yes I'll be back

Just this once, I may take my Whitesnake CD out of my car stereo and replace it with Ray Charles. For hitting the road is exactly what I'll be doing in the next few months.

My career has come full circle. I started out as a travelling actor, running away to join a theatre group and journeying the length and breadth of the country. North and south, east and west: we visited scores of theatres.

These days, I'm doing something similar – and hopefully I'll be getting to meet many of you very, very soon.

I'm on the road for two reasons. Firstly, I've just published my debut novel. It's called Reggie – A Stag At Bay. It focuses on the exploits of a Reggie finch-Leigh, who was born Reggie Arthur Bottoms.

He's a lovable rogue who was brought up as a market trader but who has gentrified himself and moved to a large country house.

But despite his middle-class aspirations, you can't take the market trader out of Reggie – he is always scheming, ducking 'n' diving. The novel focuses on Reggie's attempts to become a wheeler-dealer in the world of antiques and horse racing and the book is a collection of his amusing adventures.

In recent weeks, I've been doing all sorts of work to promote it. I was called on to BBC Radio 2, to be interviewed by Steve Wright, which is always good fun. And then I had a very early start so that I could appear with Matthew Wright on Channel 5 on The Wright Stuff. We were up before the crack of dawn to read the newspapers, which we then discussed during the show. Matthew's a lovely chap, but he's incorrigible. He's always trying to get his guests to say something controversial – and he was no different when I made my latest appearance.

I've also been visiting bookshops the length of the country, signing copies of Reggie for fans. From Greenwich to Chepstow, from Ludlow to Sutton: it seems as though there's not a book shop I haven't visited.

But signing books isn't the only thing that takes me out on the road. I've also developed a little show with a journalist friend, called Only Fools And Boycie. It's a light-hearted, 'in conversation with' event and it's proved to be very popular. We trialled a tour this spring – and it was so successful that we'll be back on the road in spring, doing 20 dates around the UK.

I'll be hitting the road (Jack), and travelling as far north as Pocklington, near York; as far south as Crawley and East Grinstead; as far east as Lincoln and as far west as Aberdovey, I'll also be playing quite a few gigs in the West Midlands.

Only Fools and Horses remains particularly popular in this region and I hope to see a lot of Star readers on my travels. In March 2014, I'll be playing Theatre-on-the-Steps, in Bridgnorth (Feb 1); Arena Theatre, in Wolverhampton (Mar 8); MET Studio, in Stafford (Mar 14); Festival Drayton Centre, in Market Drayton (Feb 28); and Studio, at Lichfield Garrick (Mar 7) – so there's a venue for all of you. The tickets are on sale.

Only Fools And Boycie is terrific fun. I've always enjoyed being in the spotlight – I can't lie, I'm a born show-off. It's great to share my stories and tell people about meeting The Beatles, working on Only Fools and Horses, doing my own stunts on Dr Who and more.

We always save time for audience questions – so go on, come along and ask anything you like – and I meet fans afterwards, to sign autographs and pose for photographs.

Ray Charles was right, you know. It's time to hit the road.