Comedian and TikTok star Tom Houghton has let slip that he is actually a Swindonian ahead of a return to the town for a show. 

The performer, who many will recognise for his appearance on the hit reality television show The Circle, is returning to Swindon with his new show It's Not Ideal this year.

But despite originally being from North Yorkshire and having a privileged upbringing that saw him travel the UK and even living in the Tower of London with his military father, ex-Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton, he revealed that he was actually born at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon. 

The 39-year-old said: "I gigged in Swindon last year, but you won't believe this - I was actually born here. My mum and dad were in the middle of a move for the military and my mother started having contractions and the doctor’s advice was to try and drive to Swindon."

Tom now calls himself the 'most straight white male privileged man' and this is certainly the persona he adopts for his comedy routines, but he adds, it's not really an act. 

He said: "My father is a lord, my mum’s a lady, I lived in a historical palace for six years,  I went to an all-boys boarding school from six years old, not really a persona, it is just me, people much prefer you to be self-aware and honest."

The comedian will be returning to his place of birth when he hits the Swindon Arts Centre stage on Wednesday, April 17, with his new show that aims to tackle the wrestle between tradition and progress.

"The monarchy is a good example of something that is a tradition and part of our nation's identity but which many people see as problematic," he said. 

"This is in the same way that alcohol is part of our identity but is problematic, perhaps a relationship is the same, I wanted to talk about recognising habits and then picking out the bad parts."

As is often the case with standup, comedians draw on their own lives for material, and that is also the case for Tom. 

"It’s a cathartic thing to be able to do comedy. When I was touring the last show I had to deal with just myself and sitting in a room where I was very much on my own for the first time. 

"I had to figure out 'who am I, what am I doing' and so it was a year of self-discovery and I put that in my work, but not at the expense of laughs!"