KEITH BARRET is one of the greatest comic creations of the new century.

The relentlessly optimistic minicab driver who sees his ex-wife's remarriage as not losing a wife but gaining a friend has gone from 10-minute self-filmed slots on BBC2 to his own TV chat show.

Featuring real life celebrity couples, the show looked at the "lighter side of divorce" and was by turns hilarious and excruciating.

And next weekend the Welshman is returning to his roots by bringing the format to Swansea, dissecting relationships and dispensing advice from the stage of the Grand Theatre.

Keith's creator Rob Brydon was a presenter on the Shopping Channel only a few years ago.

He said: "If someone had told me who I'd be working with now or the kind of reception I've had over the past two or three years, I'm not sure I would have believed them.

"It's exactly as I would have wanted it to be. I don't think that happens very often.

"I had the profile on the television and I loved the character so much I thought this'll be a great way now of getting on the stage and working in front of an audience."

Keith comes to your town to give a talk and it's a talk on divorce because that's his subject.

It's a slideshow called Making Divorce Work. "He stands up there and he says 'My name's Keith Barrett, I'm a divorced man and I can honestly say I've never been happier.'"

"The best bit is at the end of the evening. He has what he calls a counselling session where people in the audience can stick their hands up and ask him a question and he'll respond.

"That's the bit that I enjoy the most," says Rob.

The Keith Barret Show is at Swansea Grand on Sunday, October 3.

Tickets are £15 from the box office on 01792 475715.