BEFORE I even set foot in Bury Met I felt blessed. I had, after all, managed to get hold of tickets for one of Peter Kay's warm-up gigs.

As the lights dimmed, Kay was announced and, after a lengthy and expectant pause, he emerged from the back of the auditorium looking like he'd just nipped out to the 24-hour garage and found himself there by accident. Which, of course, is why we love him.

Peter was trying out the material he would be using in the first half of his sell-out show later this year (his second stint at The Met, the following day, would focus on the second half). As such, this was not meant to be a polished performance but rather a way for the comedian to run through some new ideas and test audience reaction.

And it was nothing short of brilliant.

To hear the gags in their raw state made it even clearer how talented Kay is. Touching upon the hazards of text messaging, the power of mum's spit, The A Team and those video cases your dad used to have that looked like books -- he has a lifetime of observations up his sleeve, every one of them liable to have you shrieking with laughter.

By the end of the show, some three hours after we had sat down, my head was aching from laughing so much.

I'm not going to reveal any more of his act. All I will say is that if you managed to get a ticket for his UK tour, you have a lot to look forward to.

Nicola Mostyn