"Er, a bit of both if that's possible," I reply, thinking too much time in the company of Leigh Francis's alter ego may be a bit surreal.

A few days later she phones back.

"He's going to be doing everything as Keith Lemon," she tells me. "It's a bit weird but you'll soon get used to it."

She isn't wrong. Especially the weird bit.

In case you don't know, Keith Lemon is the latest character dreamt up by Leeds comedian Leigh Francis.

Leigh comes from Old Farnley but now lives in London and has a baby on the way with his wife Jill. He made his name donning rubber masks of Craig David and Mel B on Bo Selecta after first emerging on the comedy scene as Transylvanian celebrity stalker Avid Merrion.

Keith is the star of ITV2's Keith Lemon's Very Brilliant Tour and the quiz show Celebrity Juice.

Hailing from Beeston, he started out selling Rhino Jeans on Leeds Market, for which he was named Leeds Businessman of the Year in 1993.

"Often people would bring them back because rather than employ Thai children I'd sew 'em meself," says Keith, in his distinctive broad Leeds accent.

"They'd look alright but if you put them on, the left leg were rather tight. Joe Bloggs blew me out when they started selling jeans wi' little patches on them."

Despite that setback, Keith went on to invent the Securipole, a "two-foot reinforced aluminium shaft installed in the driveway to prevent evil scumbuggers from stealing your automovehicle."

Keith also made guest appearances on Leigh's shows Bo Selecta and A Bear's Tail, before travelling the world for Keith Lemon's Very Brilliant World Tour.

He went to Mexico, Iceland, Australia, Egypt, Las Vegas and Japan and says it was eye-opening.

"They were all amazin'," he says. "I was quite bigoted, hobophomic and racist before I went on the world tour but now I'll be friends wi' anyone – black, white, brown, cream..."

Describing himself as a man of the people – "like Michael Barrymore, but without the scandal" – he lives in London but misses the north.

"I feel like I'm an ambassador for Leeds. That's why when I meet people in London I talk about how the city is becoming more betterer than London.

"I wish I was Lord Mayor of Leeds. That were me dream when I was a child. Or simply to turn the lights on at Christmas time.

"But instead they got Simon Webbe who was in Blue and he's not even from Leeds he's from Manchester. Maybe the council's going to pot 'ere. If I see the Lord Mayor I'll 'ave words."

Keith will be back in Beeston next year to shoot his forthcoming film telling the story of his life so far.

"I describe it as Trading Places starring Jade Goody played by me, Keith Lemon. It's my story and it's how I came from nowhere and got to this plateau up here and then lost it all. It's moralistic but it'll be funny.

"It'll start in Leeds. We'll film it at me mam's house, it'll be cheaper that way. Then I'll move down to the big smoke and you'll see me coming to terms wi' livin' in London."

He has Keira Knightley penned in for the role of the film's femme fatale, but admits he'd be more than happy settling for ex-Emmerdale actress Malandra Burrows.

Keith is no stranger to hanging out with beautiful women.

His job fronting Celebrity Juice gives him an excuse to get up close and personal with team captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton. "It's one of the best things I've done to be honest. To sit there and host a panel show wi' two bang tidy birds... it's a dream come true.

"Gareth Gates came on and he were a great laugh. It's easy to 'ave a pop at 'im because of the stutter and the mange à trois wi' Jordan. But he just said, 'Mention my stutter, mention Jordan, say what you want. Go for it.' Then he downed his pint.

"I said, 'You're one of my kind, you'."

And despite rubbing shoulders with famous names, Keith/Leigh insists he's still a down-to-earth Leeds bloke at heart.

"I've started 'anging round with posh people but it hasn't changed me. Well, apart from the fact I've started using a leccy toothbrush."

Keith Lemon's Very Brilliant Tour is out now on DVD. The last show in the current series of Celebrity Juice is on ITV2 tomorrow at 10pm.