PHOENIX Nights star Dave Spikey told budding young comedians about the time he contemplated climbing out of a toilet window after a disastrous night on stage when he first started performing live.

The stand-up comedian and writer was in Manchester for the start of the J20 Last Laugh Comedy Search, to find the comics of tomorrow.

Drama students from Southlands High School in Chorley took part in a hilarious comedy workshop at the launch, where they worked on scriptwriting and comedy with Spikey and fellow funnyman Keith Fields.

But Spikey told the 15 and 16-year-olds about his disastrous appearance at Blackburn Railwaymen's Club in 1991 -- when he contemplated escaping the building through a window after having a night to forget on stage.

Spikey said: "I turned up and told the secretary I was a comedian and he turned round and said we don't get comedians here, so I knew it was going to be a difficult night.

"After 45 minutes the crowd were silent, they were ignoring me and not listening. I said to the secretary I would go and I didn't need paying. But he said I had to go out for another 45 minutes. So pride got the better of me and I did the same act for the next 45 minutes! They didn't even notice because they weren't listening the first time. It was the only time I thought about escaping from a gig."

Spikey told the students it had been difficult to break into the big-time.

He said: "It was hard to get noticed. I did my act at all the working men's clubs and they didn't understand my type of comedy. My style of comedy is conversational, not telling gags, and this didn't go down well.

"But after that I went to a club in Chorlton called The Buzz and I just had a great time. I found a place where I could do my comedy. It was a massive adrenalin buzz."

And Spikey offered this advice to budding comedians.

"It can be really intimidating getting up in front of a live audience but you should just get up there and give it a go. We know the act will not be polished. Good advice that Woody Allen said was to make the audience like you. If you can get the audience on your side and make them laugh then your already half way there."

Brummie funnyman Jasper Carrot and former I'm a Celebrity contestant Rhona Cameron are also involved in the search for the future stand up comic.

They will visit 30 pubs nationwide, including five in the North-west, where young hopefuls will take to the stage for five minutes in front of a live audience to try and impress the punters.

Two finalists from each heat will go through to a regional final at the Jongleurs comedy club in Manchester, with the best comic going through to a national final at The Criterion in London's West End on April 18.

The heats in Manchester will be at The Buzz Club, Nell Lane, Chorlton, on March 5 and XS Malarkey at Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, on March 8.

For more details visit the competition website on www.J20.co.uk