Battered but unbowed, Jo Brand heads for York knowing that a new novel and TV awaits this queen of comedy.

"I never was a man-hating old lesbian, that was just tabloid talk" says Jo Brand, 48-year-old mother-of-two, who admits that sheer exhaustion is part of the stand-up act she's bringing to York's Opera House.

The comic who grabbed TV fame to her bosom, quite literally thanks to What Not To Wear's Trinny and Susannah, and also appeared in hotpants with Ruby Wax on Celebrity Fame Academy, admits that calling her tour Barely Live was no joke.

"That comes from my general state of being. Having had kids at a late age and being slightly shocked about not having any sleep ever I feel like I've kind of dragged myself fairly comatose through the past few years," says the mum of daughters aged five and three.

Once famed for spiky hair, Doc Martens boots and attitude, Brand now says: "You say that I was anti-male in my early days but that was all very tongue in cheek a lot of it and it was a response to the traditional comics who come out and say 'oh my wife' type jokes. It was an ironic take on that. You ask any of my male friends 'does she really hate men?' you get the answer 'No' because of course I don't."

On a TV appearance that she claimed turned her into 'Anne Widdecombe's less attractive sister' she says: "The only way to deal with Trinny and Susannah is to treat them like naughty schoolgirls really. The thing I did with Ruby involved imbibing a huge amount of wine and actually getting myself into a silver pair of hotpants. Each time I do something on telly, do you know what, they have that clip there. It's amazing, I have to watch it again and it really cheers me up looking like a funnel with a pair of hotpants on. But I did do it for charity and have to say that comedians should be prepared to humiliate themselves as much as possible for charity."

However, she admits to being quite anxious about a looming deadline for her third novel. "I'm planning to do something about a slightly disturbed Morrissey fan and I have a few song titles buzzing around my head at the moment," says Brand, who is hoping to bump into the singing star as both have announced tours.

The comic's book is likely to opt for a female fan in love with the singer rather than feature his typical male student audience and "given Morrissey's presumed sexuality she'll feel that if she could just get her hands on him she could turn him".

Besides appearing on TV's QI and Mock The Week, she's also discussing starring in a sitcom and another reality-type show.

"Every minute of the day seems to be timed for me at the moment. I'm not a have-it-all woman, its more clinging on by your fingertips. Unimportant things like cleaning the house have to go to the bottom of the list. I just love live performance and if anything comes along then that's icing on the cake for me."

As for husband Bernie Bourke's reaction to all this mad activity, she replies: "Well he's a trained psychiatric nurse so he occasionally throws me on the ground and gives me a forced injection."

Jo Brand, York Grand Opera House, Tuesday, March 14. Box Office: 0870 606 359.

Published: 04/03/2006