Ross Noble at the Palace Theatre

The first time I saw a Ross Noble gig it was at the sadly now defunct Buzz club upstairs at the (equally defunct) Southern Pub in Chorlton. It was magical to watch him create a whole routine featuring a Harvester pub inspired by the decorative feature in the centre of the room. People that wandered in late or went to the bar were also incorporated. Over a decade later not a lot has changed. He’ll still spend the first 20 minutes weaving a routine from all that surrounds him then pause to reassure the audience – ‘yeah, it does carry on like this.’ The ability to create a stand-up routine from very little is what Noble’s made his name with and, despite not doing much telly, it has given him a massive following. This year he branched onto the big screen with a title role as the clown Stitches in a horror film of the same name. Be sure to catch him live too though, he’s simply fantastic.

Thu 8 – Sat 10 Nov, Manchester Palace, Oxford Street, M1 6FT. Tel: 0844 871 7660, 8pm, £28.90, www.manchestertheatres.com