STAND-UP Lucy Porter may have been a regular visitor to Colchester Arts Centre in recent years, but you can guarantee it will be a different comedienne than the one who was here last year.

For a start, the singleton has only gone and got herself married.

She put the subject of many of her jokes behind her six months ago when she got married to fellow comedian Jeremy Edwards, perhaps best known as Jeremy Lion, Children’s Entertainer, although he’s no entertainer you would want at your own children’s party.

Lucy says: “I’ve known him for years, so there are few surprises, which is great and, of course, I can now tell everyone I live with Jeremy Lion. He’s great fun and it’s nice to be married.”

And, if that wasn’t enough, when I ask about the possibility of little Jeremy Lions and Lucy Porters, she doesn’t completely dismiss it She adds: “I know I used to say I’d never get married, but then I did, so who knows about children?”

Crikey where has the chirpy, single, lovelorn Lucy Porter we all know and love gone?

Who cares because I’m pleased to report Lucy is still as funny as she’s always been?

Born and brought up in Croydon, Lucy is in her 15th year as a successful stand-up comedienne, writer and actor, and, just to show she’s lost none of that ability to make people giggle, she is currently doing her biggest UK tour to date.

“It was about 30 venues,” she says, “but we’ve added a lot more since February when I started and now it’s more like 40.

For her eighth solo show and fourth UK tour, Lucy has taken one factor of the recession, the springing up of market stalls buying and selling gold, to examine our fascination with the precious metal.

Taking in the entire history of gold, starting in the ancient world and whistling through the Aztecs, the alchemists and gold rushes, Lucy looks at those who love gold – rappers and Jimmy Savile mainly – and those who have reason to hate it.

People like Fritz Haber, the scientist who developed a process for extracting gold from seawater and nearly bankrupted Germany because the extraction process cost more than the gold was actually worth.

As is always the case with Lucy’s show, there’s a personal touch, and an apt one as well, as it concerns her allergy to wedding rings and a few out-there moments, including singing the title tune to the Eighties cartoon series Mysterious Cities of Gold and one member of the audience who will get to eat real gold.

Lucy says: “I just think this whole gold thing is weird – cash for gold ads on telly and people selling them on street corners. I thought it would be quite a good subject for a show and, of course, pretty timely.”

In the past Lucy has performed at such events as the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, where she appeared at Caesars Palace, one of just three British acts to have been chosen, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

More recently she’s done a pilot with the “brilliant” Guy Jenkin, one of the men behind the hit television sitcom Outnumbered.

“I don’t know whether it will come off,” Lucy adds. “I’ve done so many pilots in the past which haven’t happened, but it would be great if this one did.”