Alongside the likes of Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason is one of New York's old school comedy legends.

His impeccable timing and stinging political satire have kept him at the top of his game for more than 40 years. Now he's back with Freshly Squeezed, his most manic show in years.

So for the uninitiated among you, we've delved into the life and times of the man himself.

Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Mason was raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great, great-grandfather were all rabbis, as are his three brothers.

At the age of 25, Jackie was also ordained. He left three years later, quitting his job in a synagogue to become a comedian because, as he said, "somebody in the family had to make a living".

Jackie rose to prominence on the Ed Sullivan Show in the early Sixties. He was there for two years until falling gloriously from grace when he gave Sullivan "the finger" during a live monologue in 1962. Sullivan kept Mason off the show for a year-and-a-half and the incident cast a shadow over his career for a decade.

Freshly Squeezed is the seventh of Mason's shows to appear on Broadway. His first, The World According To Me, first performed in 1984, won him a Tony, a Emmy, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award and a Grammy nomination.

Mason has appeared in a variety of films and television shows, including Caddyshack II, in which he played golf wanabee Jack Hartounian.

Passionate about politics, he is well-known for his tough and outspoken views. He hosts a national live call-in show on the Comcast network airing every Friday night, writes for the Jewish Press and has a bi-monthly column with Raoul Felder in the internet edition of The American Spectator.

They also write a political column for The Washington Times which is online at www.jewishworldreview.com.

Mason and Felder also write together. In 1997, Avon Books released The Jackie Mason, Raoul Felder Survival Guide To New York. This followed Jackie Mason And Raoul Felder's Guide To New York And Los Angeles Restaurants in 1996.

Well-known and loved around the world, Mason has been honored by Nelson Mandela, Oxford University and scores of other esteemed organisations.

In 1991, during the first Persian Gulf crisis, Jackie closed his show on Broadway and travelled to Israel in a show of solidarity that was later honored by the then Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mason calls New York home but he lives on the road entertaining his many loyal, long-time fans and the legions of new admirers he earns each year.

Starts at 8pm. Tickets cost £32.50 and £35, call 01273 709709.