TELEVISION and stage personality Brian Conley will soon return to his ‘home town’ theatre, the Wycombe Swan, with a production which he tells Freetime is one of the hardest roles he has played.

The comedian, who is well known for his performances as ‘It’s a puppet’ and as ‘Dangerous Brian’, recently spoke of the eight tough months of rehearsals he went through for his latest challenge.

Having performed in some of the nation’s most-loved stage performances, Brian knows what it takes to make it on stage but he wasn’t prepared for what laid ahead of him when he accepted to perform the role of Barnum.

As one of the first stage shows Brian ever watched, he was happy to accept the role but soon understood it wasn’t all going to be fun and games as he had to learn an array of circus tricks, including walking along the infamous high wire.

He said: "I was approached by Michael Harrison, the co-producer, about taking on the role and after watching the performance I decided to take it on, and we did make some adaptions to the performance to make sure everything was perfect.

"A lot of work has had to go into this, but hopefully now it is paying off as we have been getting some great reviews.

"As well as making some changes, one of the hardest challenges to overcome had to be learning the circus tricks."

He added: "Walking the tightrope had to be one of the hardest things to prepare for and I ended up hurting myself quite a lot, my feet were black after a few days of practice, but I got there eventually.

"The other day after a show someone came up to me and said ‘That walking on the tightrope was good, did you have a wire supporting you?’ Isn’t that just great? If only I did.

"The thing is you can prepare all you want behind stage but nothing replicates that moment when you’re out in front of 1,500 people and they are all watching you.

"It took a lot of work, about three times a week I would do it and gradually just built it up."

However, Brian said despite taking a lot of time working with professional gymnasts to get ready for the role, the circus scenes are only a small part of the production.

He said: "There is a lot more to the production than just the circus performances though and I think people really enjoy the characters and their relationships.

"It is a really nice story about Barnum and his wife, their life together and how he goes on many different adventures."

The show follows Brian’s character of Barnum, America’s greatest showman from the early to late 19th century.

It looks closely at his life and marriage to Chairy, who are said to see the world from opposite sides of the spectrum.

Having been a hit on stage in the 80s, the show is now making a return and Brian hopes it continues its success throughout the tour, which will not finish until August next year.

The comedian has also ranked this show highly amongst some of his previous performances, including ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Oliver!’ and ‘Hairspray’.

He said: "I have really enjoyed all the preparation to this show and it is good to have a mix of performers like myself and the professional circus performers too - it gives a nice feel to the show.

"So far the show has been really well received and we have had rave reviews and a standing ovation after every performance.

"I am signed up to be doing this for quite a bit longer, so it is a good job I am enjoying it."

Brian, who also appeared on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2012, is looking forward to bringing the show to High Wycombe, which he describes as his home town theatre.

He said: "I am really looking forward to performing in Wycombe, it is a great town and a really nice theatre, it’s a place I know really well.

"I don’t live too far away and I am expecting a lot of family and friends to be there on the night.

"It is funny, we talk to people all over the country and they always want to know what is special about their town and normally I don’t know what to say, but I like Wycombe and always look forward to performing there as it is like my home town theatre."

The spectacle of Barnum will be on display at the Wycombe Swan from Tuesday, October 7, until Saturday, October 11. Tickets are £23 to £39, with a £1.50 booking fee.

For tickets and more information visit www.wycombeswan.co.uk or call 01494 512000.