WHEN it comes to pantomime high jinks this year's offering at the SECC Clyde Auditorium is going to be "Hoff" the charts.

David Hasselhoff – better known as The Hoff – will lead the cast of Peter Pan alongside comedy duo The Krankies and Evening Times columnist Michelle McManus.

The 63-year-old star of Knight Rider and Baywatch is no stranger to the world of panto – this will be his sixth to date – but it marks his debut Scottish appearance as dastardly Captain Hook.

He has a cartoonish, flamboyant persona, his presence filling every corner of a room. When life gives The Hoff lemons, he deftly juggles them for laughs.

Inside, away from the biting November chill, it is a quieter, more reflective David I meet. He has changed out of his Captain Hook costume and is sporting a kilt in tribute to his Glasgow visit.

He plays with a gold wedding band, turning it around over and over between his fingers.

Has he secretly got hitched? "This is my father's wedding ring – he passed away last year," says David. "I wear it because it keeps me close to my dad.

"He would have loved this – he loved the pantos. His favourite thing in his entire life was when I gave him a copy of me at the [Edinburgh Military] Tattoo.

"One of my greatest regrets is never bringing my dad to the Tattoo before he passed away. He loved all that stuff."

There have been many peaks and troughs to the David Hasselhoff story, but by his own admission dealing with the death of his father, Joe, is the toughest adversity he has faced.

The emotions are understandably still raw.

"It's been really rough since my father passed away," he says. "I'm finding it difficult not having that in my life. It is a transition and a strange feeling.

"I still have my dad's number and I will call it. I leave a message, but he never calls me back."

David blinks sharply as if attempting to chase the sadness of the moment away. "It is part of life, but it is a bit of a shock. I always thought I was larger than life and could handle anything. I surround myself with people who love me.

"To be honest, when I go on stage it's the time I feel the most responsible because it's not about me then. It's about making sure that person who has paid their £40 gets their money's worth."

To that end, few people could lay claim to feeling short-changed. David is a natural entertainer in every sense of the word.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, his early years involved something of a transient existence as his father's job as a salesman and business executive took the Hasselhoff family to Jacksonville, Florida then Atlanta, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois.

As a child David craved excitement and once set fire to the family's lawn. A first taste of showbiz came when the family dog, a collie called Lassie, became the star of a Texaco television advert.

His own theatrical debut came aged seven playing one of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan.

David honed his craft through years of school plays and local theatre productions encouraged by his late mother Dolores who always told her son he had "star quality".

After unsuccessfully auditioning for a place at the Julliard School in New York, he headed for Hollywood.

A series of bit parts followed before David landed his big break in the popular US soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1975.

It wasn't until 1982, though – when David donned the trademark leather jacket of Michael Knight and climbed into a talking car called Kitt – his star truly ascended into the stratosphere.

Knight Rider made David a household name. Baywatch made him a rich man.

The Los Angeles-based lifeguard drama was first screened in 1989. It became the highest-grossing show in worldwide syndication pulling in a billion viewers at its peak.

"Oh my God, Baywatch got horrible reviews but it lasted 11 years and made half a billion dollars," he says. "Knight Rider – a talking car – got terrible reviews but that car is still following me around 30 years later. I get a laugh at that."

Who said it: David Hasselhoff or Brian Blessed? Take the quiz!

There are few in modern showbiz who can boast the career longevity that The Hoff has enjoyed.

What is the secret to his (almost) universal appeal? "I work at it and I adapt," he says. "If something happens that the press exploits me for, I turn it into fun. Because life happens.

"There is a T-shirt that says: 'Kitt happens', you know like 'S*** happens' but it says 'Kitt happens' and I thought: 'That's my whole life'. Get over it because I did."

I'm curious as to whether he knows how passionate Glaswegians are about their panto. "I do the same show no matter where I go but I think this is going to be even crazier," he says.

David has nothing but nice words about his panto predecessor John Barrowman who has tread the boards at the Clyde Auditorium in recent years.

"John has pretty much had the cornerstone on this," he says. "I kept saying: 'If John ever leaves, call me up.' I'm not sure what happened but it opened up. He was so good and a big act to follow.

"When I first took the job I said: 'Oh my God, everyone on Twitter hates me because I'm replacing John.' But I think you are going to get a fun show.

"I love John's work but it will be a different show. It is going to be camp, fun, with lots of pranks and audience participation."

Peter Pan runs at the SECC Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow from December 12 until January 3. For tickets, visit secc.co.uk or call 0844 395 4000.