The Hampton Court Palace Festival starts on Tuesday and Jools Holland is bringing his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra to the historic venue for two concerts. He spoke to Will Gore about collaborations, ghosts, and performing in the great outdoors

You are returning to Hampton Court for two gigs – are you excited to be playing there again? It is a magical venue. In that courtyard because we are trapped with the audience in a late-medieval world. If there are any ghosts there, they have no chance at all. Even they must boogie with us!

Your orchestra is a perennial favourite at summer festivals. How do you explain its appeal?

When the hot air comes down, if we are lucky enough to have any, then the audience relaxes and the music gets them moving involuntarily. There is an element of joy with our big band and there is amazing dynamics – the quiet parts are quiet but then the loud parts are really big. Towards the end, we encourage people to get up and dance but no one is forced – the ghost of Henry VIII won’t come and bully you!

Will you be keeping an eye on the weather forecast? The weather is the key challenge. My mother always said: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just badly dressed.” But, if you have torrential rain, although the people who come are really good and a Blitz spirit kicks in, it does literally put a dampener on the show.

What have you planned for the concerts? We have Ruby Turner singing with us. She is like someone from another age, she could have sung with the Count Basie Orchestra but she can also sing gospel. She has a huge repertoire and a feel for music most modern signers don’t have. Guitarist Dave Edmunds is also with us and one of the things he will be doing is Sabre Dance – one of his first hits. It is bonkers when he does it with us.

From all the collaborations you have done, is there one that really stands out? It would be one of the first ones I did was with BB King – he is such an important figure for me and also such an important figure from another age of music – an age that is still alive and with us.

You are still going strong with Later... What has it been like doing the new half-hour live edition? It has given the show a new impetus. It is hard to squash everything into half-an-hour and there is definitely a bit more aggression when the red light goes on. It is like a greyhound coming out of the traps.

Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Hampton Court Palace, June 3 and 12, 9pm, £42.50 to £57.50, visit hamptoncourtfestival.com