It’s been almost a decade since New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby delighted live audiences with his special brand of daft comedy. In the interim, he’s found huge success with the Jumanji franchise, and in numerous projects with long-time collaborator Taika Waititi. Since his last tour, much has changed. ‘I felt like the world could definitely do with more humour right now,’ he reasons. ‘Plus, there’s a hole in the TV and film industry thanks to AI taking a lot of jobs, and as a comedian I thought I’d address that.’

In The Legend Returns, Darby will single-handedly neuter the existential threat of artificial intelligence via what he calls ‘the Rhys Darby brand of physical humour, weird vehicle impressions and self-generated sound effects’. He plans to use his formidable skills to tell a story about a middle-aged man trying to take back control ‘in a sci-fi world of techy AI’.

And he’s been brazenly preparing his plan of attack by embedding himself within the offending technology itself. ‘We have no choice but to read the articles, watch the TikToks and use the apps, even if they’re scary,’ he explains. ‘I like to have a quick dabble with AI, simply so I can understand where it’s going. If we don’t, I think we’ll be left behind, with only ourselves (and the robots) to blame.’

While fans of Darby’s turn as Murray Hewitt, manager of Flight Of The Conchords, have long hoped for a reunion, it seems to be some way off (but not without hope). ‘We see each other every year and catch up when we can, but we usually don’t film it,’ he says. ‘But I’m sure one day Murray will return with his pad and his agenda.’

Rhys Darby: The Legend Returns is touring the UK until Sunday 29 June; Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, Friday 1–Sunday 10 August.