Canadian comedy legend Russell Peters is bringing his Almost Famous World Tour to Dubai in January, with performances at Dubai World Trade Centre on January 19 and 20.

The great thing about seeing the 45-year-old live is how much he ad-libs with the audience.

“Some guys go on-stage with a script and don’t deviate from it. That’s not my style,” he explains. “I have my set and know what I want to cover; I just use the audience to move me in certain directions. It’s very collaborative and each show is unique.”

Known for his observational comedy about everything from race to politics and childhood to technology, Peters is one of the world’s most financially successful stand ups (Forbes estimates he pulled in Dhs77 million in 2013, partly due to his popularity on YouTube).

Peters performed sell-out gigs in the UAE in 2012 and 2013, and so he has a proven fan base here.

Here’s an oldie but a goodie from the comedian:

FIVE FAST FACTS ABOUT RUSSELL PETERS

– He began exercising his comedy chops in 1989.

– His late father was born in Mumbai, India.

– Before he got into comedy, he was a well-respected DJ in Toronto’s hip hop scene.

– He was bullied at school, and learnt boxing which led him to beef up and get more confident (bye bye bullies).

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday December 15th at 12pm on www.ticketmaster.ae.