AFTER his first tour-de-force, smash hit, sell out tour, My Life Story; Suggs is treading the boards again with a brand new show.

If the first show was about how on Earth he got there, his follow up Suggs: What a King Cnut is about the surprises that awaited him when he did. Vertigo on the roof of Buckingham Palace, nearly blowing the closing ceremony of the Olympics, the embarrassing stuff that happened at Glastonbury.

With help from Deano his trusty pianist, Suggs drops in at The Forum at Barrow on Friday, October 26, relating his story in words and music with the help of some Madness classics and a couple more what he wrote all on himself. "The first show was all about how I got from being Graham McPherson working in a butcher’s in Chapel Market, north London to becoming the front man of Madness," explains Suggs.

However, the new show was triggered by a defining moment. "I recently discovered I had a sister living in Ireland. I kind of knew my mother had had a daughter she'd put up for adoption as a baby. But I had no recollection of her and it was something we never spoke about.

"Then, completely out of the blue, Mum got a message on Facebook saying: 'I think you might be my mother.' It turned out this woman - her name is Julie - had seen a repeat of my This Is Your Life on which my mother was introduced by her maiden name, Edith Gower.

"Julie recognised the name and spotted the physical resemblance. Then she got in touch. This was about five years ago and I’ll never forget it. Mum flew to Dublin to meet Julie and, when she came back, she was different.

"Her shoulders had dropped. It was as if she'd carried a tension inside her every day of her life since she’d been forced to part with her daughter. An innate sadness had instantly disappeared. And it all happened just in time." Suggs’s mother passed away in April aged 79.

Suggs married his wife, Anne - known professionally as Bette Bright, singer with the band, Deaf School - when he was only 21. “I think I was probably looking for a bit of structure in my life. But I married for love – and we’re still together.” They have two daughters, Viva and Scarlet.

Early success with Madness was balanced by a rock steady home life, something for which he’ll always be grateful. “Fame doesn’t really interest me.”

The Forum box office 01229-820000.