Frank Skinner on his unlikely connection to James Bond – and why he loves getting older

Frank Skinner, renowned for his side-splitting stand-up gigs, isn’t just a master of comedy – turns out, he’s got a knack for casting spells too!

In an exclusive chat with our very own Saga Magazine, Skinner spills the beans on a “Catholic curse” he unleashed on none other than James Bond heartthrob, Daniel Craig. The reason? A cleaner-napping incident.

“I had a celebrity cleaner who would say to me ‘I can’t do Tuesday, I’ve got to go to a film premiere.’ Eventually, it was: ‘I can’t come anymore because Daniel Craig’s offered me extra hours’,” he said.

He joked: “He might not have realised she’d have to choose between us, but I like to think Quantum of Solace was the Bond film no one ever remembers because I put a formal Catholic curse on him after that.”

The comedy virtuoso, set to storm the West End with his hit show 30 Years of Dirt, also spilled the beans on embracing his later years.

“Some people despair when they get old,” he told Saga Magazine.

“They look back to their teens as a golden time. Psychologically, I think I was already an old man when I was about 12. It’s like I had a jacket in my wardrobe that I really liked but that didn’t fit. Then I finally tried it on one day, and thought, ‘yeah, I feel very comfortable in the old man role.’”

Skinner continued, extolling the virtues of aging, relishing the freedom it brings to opt out of things and savour the simpler pleasures in life.

“I’m not troubled by FOMO. Dog; cardigan; Strictly on the telly: I’m very happy with my lot,” he said.

But perhaps the crowning glory of Skinner’s later years is his role as a father. In 2012, he and partner Cath Mason welcomed their son Buzz into the world. Even though, at 55, he was an older dad, Skinner is unabashedly revelling in parenthood.

“I love being a father,” he said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and I’d much rather be less successful as a comedian and more successful as a father.”

Frank Skinner will perform his brand-new stand-up show 30 Years of Dirt at the Gielgud Theatre in London from 5-17 February. The UK tour starts on 12 March. For dates and tickets, visit frankskinnerlive.com