AS FAR as career paths go, Mark Watson’s is nothing if not varied.

Although probably best known as a stand-up comedian, he has turned his hand to all sorts of other projects, from writing novels to presenting television programmes.

Cynics may suspect him of trying to supplement his comedy career with other activities, but in fact Watson makes a conscious effort to have as much variety in his life as possible.

“That’s one of the things that I love about the job: that I’ve been able to do a lot of fun things and a lot of strange things,” he says.

Deliberate it may be, but that quest for variety led Watson to his most unusual project this year: Road to Rio, a programme about a six week whistle-stop tour of South America in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil, with fellow comedian Henning Wehn, who hails from Germany.

“It was one of the weirdest projects that I’ve ever done,” says Watson.

“It was six weeks of filming across six different countries which is an ambitious and ludicrous schedule. Henning and I didn’t know each other especially well and suddenly we were spending lots of time together.

“It was hard work, but it’s not the sort of thing you can say is hard work because I was in South America for six weeks.”

This year, Watson will return to the Edinburgh Festival and to touring after a two-year break, which he believes will result in better live performances.

“You can get slightly beaten down by the schedule of touring and don’t enjoy it as much, and that comes across,” he says.

“You get bored with the sound of your own voice. The travelling and the lifestyle of touring – it’s kind of fun in some ways but it’s not a good way to live for a long time.”

Equally, Edinburgh is both an exciting prospect and a daunting one.

“I always look forward to it with a certain trepidation because it’s a very hard, long slog – pretty much the whole of August. It does take its toll.

“But it’s always exciting.”

Despite the two-year break from live work, Watson has hardly been taking things easy. He spent an intense period writing his fifth novel, Hotel Alpha. It is described as his most ambitious yet, covering three decades in the life of a grand London hotel and accompanied by around 100 short stories told online.

“I was aware it was quite a big project. I was consciously pushing it in the sense I was keen for it to be something beyond anything I had attempted before. You can’t get too hung up on doing something spectacular though – you’ve got to do the simple things well. I tried not to let the sense of ambition become the focus.

“I generally have a taste for huge scale stories. It’s fun to set yourself tasks that take you to the limit of what you can achieve.”

When he appears at the Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival in July, Watson will discuss his new novel – but is happy to take questions on any element of his work.

“I’ve had quite a complex career, so people are free to ask any subject,” he says. “I think some people come because of the book but other people are more interested in the comedy.

“As long as people come at all, I don’t mind why!”

Mark Watson will be at Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival at the St George Hotel on Saturday at 5pm. For tickets, visit www.harrogateinternationalfestivals.com or call the box office on 01423 562303.