RICKY GERVAIS’ standing as the world’s most successful comedian does not put him in good stead to do a warm-up tour testing new material.

Everything he said was met with belly laughs from the audience when much of it barely deserved a snigger. I hope he doesn’t take this pandering as gold. His set needs a lot of work before he takes it on a world tour.

The time he spent discussing Science was Gervais at his best. Intelligent stand-up that delivered on laughs and intrigue. The time he spent discussing Amanda Holden’s lack of talent and affair with Neil Morrissey was dated and poor.

It becomes uncomfortably apparent at times that Gervais’ bread and butter is not stand-up comedy. All stand-up gigs are scripted and meticulously planned, but comedians spend years perfecting their craft. They can make you feel that everything they say is an original thought.

This is where Gervais falls off, as his set seemed more of a delivered recital than a stand-up gig and his interaction with the audience was minimal and feined.

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh. I’ve been a big fan for a lot of years, but lately he seems to be losing his edge.

The set had its moments and there is no doubt the tour will be hugely successful. I just hope he gets back whatever it was he had before.

Dan Howlett