HE was only 15 and wearing his dad’s best suit which he had cut up with scissors for comic effect.

But as he stood on the stage telling jokes he had just bought for a penny, the audience remained silent.

It was only when the teenager started to walk off and tripped on his hat, the crowd burst into fits of laughter.

That night in 1906 in the Panoptican Theatre in Glasgow, few people realised a star was born. Arthur Stanley Jefferson had just made his very first appearance at an open comedy talent night.

Within four years, he was working in America with a young Charlie Chaplain. However, it was when Arthur changed his name to Stan Laurel and teamed up with Oliver Hardy that the once hapless teenager became one of the most famous comedians in the world.

Fast forward another 40 forty years and a young schoolboy roars with laughter as he watches Oliver and Hardy classics such as The Music Box and Way Out West at his local cinema.

That boy, Jeffrey Holland, would go on to become the star of hit TV shows like Hi De Hi and You Rang, M’Lord.

Now, Jeffrey is about to bring his own one man Stan Laurel tribute show to The Brewhouse.

“It’s been a lifelong ambition of mine to do this show and tread the boards as one of the world’s best loved comedy stars,” explains Jeffrey. "I fell in love with Laurel and Hardy as a boy. They became my friends. I loved their childish antics but also the compassion between them.

“They were always getting into trouble but somehow managed to get out of it. As a youngster, I looked forward to seeing their shows on a Saturday morning and if there wasn’t one on, I felt bereft.”

Jeffrey’s show, And this is my friend, Mr Laurel, takes its title from the way Oliver Hardy always introduced his comedy partner. It is set in Hardy’s bedroom where Stan is visiting his lifelong friend who is now dying.

He starts to reminisce about how they met, fondling recalling their career, their films and the women they loved and lost. Apart from a bed and a chair, Jeffrey is alone on the stage for the entire show.

“Stan Laurel was a genius and the real brains behind the act,” adds Jeffrey.

“He came up with the jokes, the scripts and the ideas for their films. On screen he was the bumbling one but what you see on the screen is nothing like the man was in real life.”

TV audiences got a glimpse of his talent for mimicry back in the 1980s when he starred as Spike in Hi De Hi, alongside the great Paul McShane.

Set in a 1950s holiday camp, the show attracted audiences of up to 19 million every week. In one episode, Jeffrey and Paul performed as Laurel and Hardy.

Jeffrey was thrilled when in 1983, he was invited to Ulverston in Cumbria, Stan’s birthplace, to open the Laurel and Hardy Museum. That set him thinking again on performing a one man show. Along with award-winning scriptwriter Gail Louw, the pair started work on, And this is my friend, Mr Laurel.

Looking back on his own career which has seen him appear in shows as diverse as Crossroads to Shakespeare’s Richard II, Jeffrey laments the passing of good writing, especially in comedy.

“It’s been lovely to have been involved with some really successful and iconic sitcoms over the years. It was the kind of family, wholesome stuff that Stan Laurel used to do.

“Comedy has changed so much but I suppose values and priorities have changed too.

“However, the really great family comedy that Laurel and Hardy did never dates. I have an eight year-old nephew who love watching them on his phone. I wish the BBC would show their films again like they used to in the 70s. It should be on at 6pm every night so it can be enjoyed by three generations of fans.”

Jeffrey says he’s looking forward to his first visit to The Brewhouse in over 12 twelve years. “I always remember it as a friendly theatre with great staff and audiences who know how to have a good night out. I know they’ll love hearing Stan talk about the wonderful life and career he shared with his friend. The opening scene where Stan walks into Ollie’s room and realises how ill he was, is very moving.

“It makes me very emotional, as does the final scene where he says ‘goodbye’ wondering if he will ever see Ollie alive again.

“Even though neither is with us now, they live on through their films. I’m grateful for that.”

The Brewhouse. Saturday, April 16 at 7.30pm.