Owing to a very cynical taste for humour, my expectations of Michael McIntyre on Saturday were sceptical at best.

Having enjoyed him when I was younger I presumed I’d outgrown his relatable anecdotes, cheerful persona and mainstream appeal, that he had peaked already, that he was past his prime.

However to my pleasant surprise I was relieved that my arrogance hadn’t prevented me from seeing a truly funny comedian performing in the intimacy of the New Theatre, where he was practicing for his arena tour. Within minutes I found myself chuckling at his jokes about his fear of sinister countryside animals and his burglary prevention plans.

His musings about day-to-day life may not be groundbreaking but they are incredibly down-to-earth and very funny. There is something for anyone, no matter where you’re from, or how old you are. McIntyre’s gift is still his ability to highlight our daily struggles and quirks and turn them into some really hilarious material.

He opened his Work In Progress show with anecdotes from his recent gigs in Dubai and the insane heat he experienced when leaving the airport.

Another highlight was when he began gallivanting around the stage to emphasise his strange running style which has given him extremely odd shaped calves and had me in stitches.

The relentless jokes only stopped when he announced that he’d forgotten the time and had yet to do his encore. Skipping off stage for a brief moment, he then returned with more side-splitting material, including a hilarious sketch about becoming too fat and realising he needed to change.

I hope he doesn’t change too much though as it took Saturday night to make me fully appreciate one of the funniest comedians around.

Joel Pickard