Daniel Sloss has a ball with comedy pal Kai Humphries at Pleasance Theatre

IT would be something of an understatement to say that Daniel Sloss has come a long way in the five years since he made his debut at The Stand’s weekly beginner’s showcase, Red Raw.

But while he’s now a major name on the UK comedy circuit, he admits to owing a massive debt to the York Place comedy club for giving him a slot as a 17-year-old rookie.

“It was a huge stepping stone in my career,” says the Edinburgh-based Fifer. “The Stand has been so supportive since the beginning - and I owe a lot to [owner] Tommy Sheppard for his belief in me.”

Sloss also admits that some of the older heads on the comedy circuit had to show a great deal of patience with the ‘slightly obnoxious’ teenager.

“I always refer to JoJo Sutherland as my comedy mum,” says the 22-year-old, speaking ahead of his visit to The Pleasance Theatre on Tuesday. “She MCd that first gig I played and really took me under her wing.

“She was brilliant with me. She saw this cocky, overly-sure, perhaps arrogant teenager, and she gave me such good advice.”

So he was hard work back then? “Oh yeah,” he laughs. “I suppose I was annoying in the way only a new comic can be. You’ve got some gigs under your belt that have gone pretty well and you’re wondering where your TV show is.

“If I had met me when I was 17, I wouldn’t have showed me the same patience that half the comics showed me. One thing I’m really glad about is that I am a Scottish comic, because it seems to me that circuit is smaller but more family-like.

“I didn’t deserve their kindness and even now when I see them everyone’s just so friendly... proud as well.”

There’s certainly a lot to be proud of. As well as his four sell-out Fringe runs, Sloss has appeared on Michael McIntrye’s Comedy Roadshow, 8 Out 10 Cats, Jason Manford’s Comedy Rocks and The Rob Brydon Show, to name just a few of his TV appearances.

He’s also starred in his own BBC show, The Adventures Of Daniel, and has just released his first live DVD, which was filmed in front of a sell-out Scottish crowd earlier this year.

It’s been a fantastic year for the so-called ‘Justin Bieber of stand-up’, and there’s plenty still to look forward to, with visits to both The Pleasance and Musselburgh’s Brunton Theatre (Sunday, December 9) in the diary.

His current show, called simply The Show, went down a storm during its run at the Fringe. And though there’s been a bit more work put into it since then, he bizarrely admits that those who saw it in August needn’t bother seeing it again.

“My manager’s gonna f****** kill me for saying this, but if you’ve seen the Fringe show, probably best not to come to this one,” he laughs. “It’s pretty much the same show.

“Saying that, if you enjoyed it and you want to sit through it again, by all means come and see it.”

Sloss is currently touring the country with his best buddy, Geordie comic Kai Humphries, who is acting as his support.

“It’s an absolute joy being on tour together, but please don’t print that,” he says. “The last thing I want is for him to think that I don’t wish death on him every hour of the day.

“But seriously, it’s great fun being on tour with Kai. We don’t really fall out. I mean we wind each other up but we know each other’s limits and we know when we’re taking it too far.

“I think also just the fact that we’re two massive stoners, it’s kind of hard to be angry with each other.”

They may be pals who share a profession, but Sloss says he and Humphries are polar opposites. “I honestly can’t explain why we don’t fall out. It’s a shock that Kai and I even get on. We’ve always said if we met anywhere else other than through comedy we’d hate each other.

“I’m middle class and quite camp... well, apparently... whereas Kai is working class and a dirty b******.

“I don’t mean to be camp,” he adds almost apologetically. “But I’ve got 15 minutes of material on how I wish I was gay... just cos life would be easier. I think maybe that’s what makes me comes across as a bit camp.”

The pair are clearly having a ball on tour together, but Sloss says the life of a famous comic is not quite as rock ‘n’ roll as some might think.

“Everyone has the common misconception that we must be out every night getting laid,” he says. “Well, have you ever tried getting laid on a Tuesday night in Banbury? It’s literally never happened to anyone... like, ever.”

• Daniel Sloss, The Pleasance Theatre, The Pleasance, Tuesday, 7.30pm, £15 (£10.50 students), 0131-556 6550