FOR Andy Hamilton, being creative is where he thrives.

Whether it is writing for sitcom Outnumbered, writing a feature length film or as part of panel show Have I Got News for You, being creative is where the comic is most at home.

Known for the free-flowing nature of what he creates, he has taken this ethos on board when he comes to Basingstoke to host An Evening With Andy Hamilton.

“I am going to let the evening be dictated by the questions that are asked by the audience,” the 64-year-old tells The Gazette.

“I like the authentic nature of things, rather than me just showing clips and doing skits.

“Plus, this way I get a feel of what a town or city is like and It is always nice to meet your audience in the flesh.”

During the show on Saturday, 20 October, Hamilton will look back at his very extensive professional career in comedy which began in 1976 as a contributor to Radio 4’s Week Ending and has seen him pick up a raft of awards for co-writing and co-directing such household TV hits as Drop the Dead Donkey and Outnumbered.

Most recently, his TV satires turned up the heat on Westminster with Ballot Monkeys and Power Monkeys. He and his co-writer Guy Jenkin also penned and directed the hit British comedy feature film What We Did On Our Holiday.

When talking about his feature film he said: “The idea came from a conversation me and Guy were having where we mentioned how many children we knew whose parents had split up. From there we thought we would try and write it from their perspective.

“I am really glad that people seemed to like what we did with that film.”

Hamilton is not one to stick with one project, he likes to keep his plates spinning and, in the entertainment world he has covered a vast landscape.

One thing that keeps his creative juices flowing is the constant changing world of the industry he is involved in.

He added: “There is no point in railing against the changes and you need to go with the flow a little bit. The landscape has been changing for years, but I can’t remember a time when it was completely standing still.

“For me though things are still fundamentally the same, having an idea and getting someone to pay to make it.

“Getting a programme on air is the hardest bit, obviously there are challenges when you are making it, but the biggest mountain you have to conquer is getting it off the ground.”

As well as being a regular on topical panel show Have I Got News for You, Hamilton has carved out a career putting his unique voice to use.

For readers with young children his voice may be most familiar as Dr Elephant, the dentist in Peppa Pig, but he also provides the voice of Captain Squid, the pirate in the children’s show Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.

When asked do people sometimes recognise his voice more than him, Hamilton said: “I get that look where they will see me, and they can’t quite place me. It is quite often they will come up to me and think I went to school with them or we met on holiday.”

An Evening with Andy Hamilton will take place on October 20, at The Haymarket. For more information at tickets visit anvilarts.org.uk.