Alan Carr got Ipswich laughing last night with his warm-up prelude to his forthcoming arena tour.From the moment he walked out onto the stage, he had the audience in the palm of his hand – including one woman whose laugh could be heard above the rest and managed to throw even Mr Carr off. Although being the professional that he is he quickly recovered and likened her to the Wicked Witch of the West!

And to be honest, that’s where Alan came into his own. His stand up is great, he knows how to tell a tale and make everyone chuckle. But his off-the-cuff improvisations and audience participation had everyone in stitches and that’s a real talent – to be able to think on your feet and react to situations around you as they come.

Obviously current topics were covered in the material, always good to know that it’s kept fresh. When asking if the riots reached Ipswich, he mused that potentially the only thing that could happen would be that a hanging basket or two was knocked down – however he did have an extremely strong opinion of the statue on Majors Corner and was intrigued by the fly swat...but I won’t spoil the punch-line for those who are yet to see the show!

Alan plays up to his campness and definitely makes the stage his own with his somewhat questionable dance moves, impersonations and general wanderings – which only add to the amusement.

Famous friends, supermarkets, call centres, and animals all featured in the set and it has to be said, Ii don’t think I’d want to feature in Alan’s life as he would most certainly use the material in his shows (his poor friend Monica from the Tooth Fairy tour four years ago seems to bear the brunt of many a joke).

The sign of a good comedian is to leave the audience wanting more, and to leave still laughing. And if that’s the case, Alan Carr is an excellent comedian. And this was just the warm up show!