ALAN Davies had the crowd in the palm of his hand at Bournemouth Pavilion.

The comedian and television star stopped off as part of his nationwide stand-up tour and had the almost full theatre in fits pretty much from start to finish.

The audience warmed to his relaxed conversational style and warm nature from the start and he mixed the routine with lots of off the cuff jokes that came to him as he chatted to the crowd.

He talked about growing up in Essex and pulled off a hilarious impression of his dad using a foot pump to blow up his lilo on holiday.

I would have thought that jokes about being on Facebook could be getting a bit old but the story about upsetting his friend Dave by “poking” him on the internet site was hilarious.

His tales of becoming a dad and enduring visits from relatives while stressed and deprived of sleep were great too.

His television career on the shows Jonathan Creek and the quiz show IQ have no doubt helped him build up a loyal following who were ready with their books to be signed in the foyer afterwards.