"Nerves are never logical. It's usually how you're feeling on the day, how your tea has gone down," explains Andy Parsons, a seemingly serene comedian, at least above the water.
"Sometimes you can be performing in front of thousands and feel relaxed and top of it, and other times, you can be performing new material in front of 50 people, and that can feel like your first gig all over again."
It's been a long time since that debut for Parsons, now 44, who combined his Cambridge days studying law with establishing a comedy duo with Henry Naylor, his writing partner to this day. His first paid comedic gig was creating gags for Spitting Image - 20 years later, he's a veteran ofMock the Week, via a long stint on Radio 2. How does such an established industry figure stay edgy?
"You're always reined in by producers," he explains. "You're not the one with the responsibility. Mine is to throw out what's funny to the producer, and then they have to get it past the authorities. There's no point censoring yourself, that'll happen at the next level up, you might as well go with what you think is funny, and hope some of it stays in."
Despite all his broadcasting success, stand-up remains Parsons' first love: "You're performing it, there's no one telling you what you can and can't do, no ticks or crosses.
"Live gigs are always the most satisfying, and the most immediate. You're not waiting six months for it to come out on the telly - in terms of instant gratification, live always wins."
But what about the self-professed nerves?
"You just get used to dealing with them, it's almost comforting. Sometimes when you're not nervous, you suddenly think you should be, because you should never get complacent.
"So you'll focus, get a little bit of extra adrenalin going, and you think, 'time to go to work.'"
Since humour has been work for more two decades, can Parsons ever relax and have a good belly-laugh himself?
"You could sit in an audience and just analyse, but I try to leave the analytical behind when I sit in a friend's audience, and just try to sit back and enjoy it. It's wonderful to see a friend having a good time with an audience."
And what really makes him laugh?
"Well, there has to be something unexpected, but it's when things go wrong. You're just there in your normal smiley way, and something comes and gets you from left-field - not necessarily the traditional banana skin, but hopefully a fairly sophisticated banana skin."
Andy Parsons: Gruntled Live 2011 is now available on DVD and BD. Watch him in action in our clip below: