You know you have arrived in the glamorous world of showbiz when Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet invites you out for a curry.

That immortal moment will live forever in the memory of comedian Toby Foster - because he turned the Eighties legend down and got himself into bother with the wife.

But for 30-year-old comic Toby, who is the resident compere at Bradford's Bag of Quips comedy festival, the Hadley incident is just another point on a rollercoaster ride that has taken him from being a brewery worker to one of the most sought-after names on the national comedy circuit in just four years, with appearances on TV's Stand Up Show and That Peter Kay Thing.

He said: "I was doing the warm-up for the National Lottery in Manchester at the time and I'd met all sorts of big names like Chris de Burgh, ELO, and 10cc, but the wife never shown any interest. But when I said Tony Hadley was on that was it, she spent all day getting ready and was really excited. She couldn't believe it when I turned down the chance of a curry with him. She was mortified."

Toby made his first foray into the world of comedy while working as a rep for Mansfield Brewery, which meant endless journeys from one end of the country to the other.

"I was away from home a lot, living in hotels for four nights a week, and there isn't a lot a single bloke on his own can do without looking really sad.

"You can't go to the cinema or pub without people thinking you're weird - so I started going to comedy clubs. One day I was in the Glee Club in Birmingham and I thought, sod it, I'll give it a go. So I went up completely drunk and that was it.

"I was never really the funny bloke down the pub. I think most comedians have mates who are a lot funnier then they are but they just won't go up and do it on stage.

"There's been plenty of times when I've been out with my mates and they will say something funny and I'll nick it for the act.

"I'll ask them if they've heard that somewhere before or just made it up - and if they have I'll use it.

"Some of the comics I know are really boring people in real life but they can go on stage and create fantastic comedy. I don't know how it works but it does.

"I suppose my kind of stand-up is sort of like being that funny bloke down the pub. If I can stand up on stage and make people think they are talking to a mate then I know it's going to be funnier."

"Being a comic you spend a lot of time by yourself but I can't sit down and create a routine, it's not like writing a novel. I'll just walk around the house and talk to the dog. If the dog laughs then you know it's funny."

But the audiences are not always as appreciative as man's best friend.

"The worst gig I've ever done was at Rotherham Arts Centre in front of four people.

"There was a bloke at the front who just sat there with his mouth wide open all night - just staring at me.

"In the end I asked if there was anything wrong and he said, 'Yes, I fell off a ladder when I was seven and had a metal plate put in my head.' What can you say to that? There isn't a comeback under the sun for that."

Fortunately, though, Toby says that Bradford has been far more welcoming at its Friday festival comedy nights.

He said: "Bradford has been unbelievable. To say it's a brand new comedy club it has gone down really well. To get a hundred people in regularly is fantastic.

"Bradford's always struck me as a bit of an odd place for comedy. People have tried to start comedy nights up before but they've never really taken off. But this time I think they've pulled it off and I hope they continue with it after the festival.

"I prefer coming up North because the crowds are far more appreciative. There are so many comedy clubs in London that there just aren't enough good comedians to go around and audiences don't appreciate a good comic as much when they see one.

"Up here if people can see a comic is working and trying their best to make them laugh they go with it."

And having the ability to make people laugh is, as Tony Hadley would say through his chicken bhuna, pure gold.

l Bradford's Bag of Quips Comedy Festival finishes next Friday, at the Alhambra Studio, with Perrier Award winner Johnny Vegas.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.