Not having previously heard of Dara O'Briain, I wondered what the balding, slightly tubby, middle-aged man could possibly say to make me chuckle.

But laugh out loud I did as, with his speedy Oirish banter and impressive improv style, O'Briain rattled off humorous observational rants which, although seemingly direction-less at first, progressed to full-blown, recognise-yourself, social commentary climaxes.

O'Briain also successfully manoeuvred himself through hilarious visual stage antics, at one point treating us to a cliche-ridden, hand-wiggling gay dance, as well as providing the usual IRA, etiquette and getting-old-versus-technology gags.

With his mixture of older-generation cynicism and Room 101-style pet hates, Dara's material is nothing new. However, with a one hundred per cent pass rate for every joke told, O'Briain is lovable, hilarious and as unique as his homeland's fabled four-leaf clover.