Evening Standard (London): stand up for the KIDS

Having a unique selling point always helps in comedy - James Campbell is fortunate enough to have two. Firstly, in a profession overpopulated by physical oddballs, he bears more than a passing resemblance to Johnny Depp.

Secondly, he is the country's only children's stand-up comedian. His Comedy 4 Kids shows were sell-outs in Edinburgh this summer and, during half-term, he's coming to the Criterion Theatre. 'Typical,' he chuckles, looking louche over Marlboro Lights and tea in Dulwich Park. 'I've spent ages trying to break into the London circuit and now I'm making my debut in the West End.'

Think of comedians for children and red noses, slapstick and wellflung custard pies come to mind. Think again. James Campbell is doing for kids aged six and upwards what the likes of Jack Dee and Eddie Izzard do for adults. He likes to think of himself more in the mould of Ross Noble than Krusty The Clown, riffing on everyday subjects, his tousled locks flying across cheese-slicer cheekbones. He sings about golden retrievers to the tune of the Monkees' 'I'm A Believer', and wonders if old people have wrinkles because they bathe too much. He has a great line about reincarnation: 'Stroke your baby brother because he could be your old dog. Let him poo in the park, but clean it up after.' Campbell's act proves that you can be funny without recourse to swearing. Parents will enjoy it too. 'I think it's a show that should be shared by the whole family. For a lot of children it's an easy way in to theatre and is probably their first time there. Surely you'd want to be there with them?' In Ireland recently, a family who'd seen Campbell before made a 120-mile roundtrip to see him again. 'Their kids quote my jokes, like I used to quote Monty Python gags,' he notes approvingly.

Success has earned the youthful 30-year-old fans in high places. This summer he signed a development deal with Graham Norton's production company, So Television. They are working on a pilot in which Campbell tells surreal stories and plays all the parts in sketches. 'I'm not sure if it's because they think I'm versatile or just cheap,' he giggles. There was a rumour in Edinburgh that the contract with the compulsively risqu Norton stipulated that Campbell could not talk about sex in his evening adult shows. He scotches this myth, but confirms a potential problem. 'It might confuse the message if children come to my adult gigs.' There's also the fear that it might give the tabloids a juicy story when he is famous - 'Kiddie star in knob gag scandal' - so it's best to nip the possibility in the bud.

Campbell's success marks the realisation of his own childhood dream. He was a funny storyteller from the age of seven, when he was growing up near Cambridge. 'While other kids were playing football, I'd be making them laugh.' After school he briefly studied at Queen's University Belfast. 'The first essay was entitled "Why should we study English literature?" I couldn't think of an answer, so I left.' He started to speak in primary schools, where he shied away from describing himself as a storyteller, 'because it conjures up an image of a 90-year-old man with a long white beard.' He only realised he was a stand-up comedian when one of the teachers took him aside. 'They said could I calm it down a bit, I was getting the kids too excited.' In nine years, he notched up more than a thousand classroom gigs, combining these with club dates for grownups, but Campbell prefers his younger audience.

'They are more honest and open. They're able to suspend disbelief. If you tell a story about a talking dog, they're happy to accept that dogs can talk.

If they ask me if I have a wife or a girlfriend I answer "both" and they just accept it without making judgments.' The explanation is simple - Campbell is currently in the process of divorcing and lives with his girlfriend.

But children can also be tough. 'If they don't like you, they're never too polite to show it.' Sometimes the hecklers become showstoppers. In Edinburgh, one boy shouted that there was an Islamic terrorist in the audience when he saw another boy playing with a toy gun. 'I like to encourage them to join in, to find out what's really going on in their heads. I did a story about finding a cow in my bath and I asked if anyone's mum would mind if they had a cow in their bath. One boy shouted, "No, we'd get fresh milk every day".'

Campbell has no children of his own and no immediate plans for fatherhood.

'I'm still a child myself' he says, which explains his affinity for them.

'Whenever I visit friends I always end up putting their children to bed, which is odd because I'm doing exactly the opposite of what I do on stage - calming them down instead of getting them excited.' He plans to phase out the adult comedy eventually. When most comedians can't resist diversifying, it's a surprising decision - but Campbell seems to relish impulsive behaviour.

Returning from the nearby cafe, he is carrying a chocolate bar - despite having a nut allergy. He refuses to let it dominate his life. 'Every time you have an attack you lose consciousness quicker. The last time I was out in 15 minutes. It could be ten next time.' It is typical of his frivolous but slightly dark sensibility - he admits to once cracking gags at a funeral - that he jokes about his condition. His 2000 Edinburgh show was called James Campbell May Contain Traces Of Nuts. 'If I really wanted to live dangerously, I could play Russian roulette with a packet of Revels.' As for the Johnny Depp comparison, Campbell is getting used to it. Admiring glances from women pushing buggies suggests it isn't a huge burden. 'Mothers seem to like [how I look], and they're the ones who are paying for the tickets,' he reflects.

'I've had the Depp thing for years. I don't suppose that anyone is saying that Johnny Depp is a James Campbell lookalike though...' Not yet perhaps, but some ten-year-olds might be saying just that very soon.

Comedy 4 Kids, Thur 30, Fri 31 Oct Sat 1 Nov, noon, Sat 1, 8, 15, 22 29 Nov, 2pm, Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, W1 (020-7413 1437).