BURNLEY Mechanics was packed for Stephen K Amos on Thursday night — and the crowd quickly forgave him for his late appearance on stage.

His tour this year, which began at the Edinburgh Festival, is called “Find the Funny” and he found it in everything from inadvertent racism to old ladies falling over. But he marked himself out as a true comedian, rather than simply a man telling jokes, in the effortless way he bounced off his audience.

It was a warm, engaging performance with an acid-sharp edge, and audience members gave as good as they got in the sort of good-natured heckling that only occurs when a performer has truly captured the hearts of everyone in the room.

By the end, a little bit of Northern soul had almost certainly infected the Londoner, who promised to incorporate some of the Burnley humour into future shows.

Stephen K. Amos has appeared occasionally on our TV screens, but is nowhere near as well-known as he deserves to be.

Go and see him if you get the chance — it’ll be a great night.