If ever there was a way to build up a sense of anticipation ahead of a show, this was the stuff.

Searchlights sweeping across the auditorium, swirling dry ice, pulsating music like a giant heartbeat, offset by a wartime style commentary in the background.

Then, as the tension mounts, in strolls Ricky Gervais casually dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans with a can of lager to hand!

To be fair, support act Sean McLoughlin had done a decent job of warming up the audience too, so the packed crowd at the BIC was pumped for a good night.

Now considered one of the UK’s most influential comedians, Ricky Gervais, the creator and star of The Office, has won three Golden Globes, seven Baftas and two Emmys. The Office is the most successful British comedy of all time.

Now he has returned to the stage with his first stand-up tour in seven years, Humanity.

But be warned his humour can be brutal. Gervais thrives on controversy. His whole comedy routine is based on having a laugh at taboo subjects. Nothing is sacred – terrorism, cot death, cancer, even rape and paedophilia - so this show definitely isn’t for the thin skinned.

Personally I thought some of his material was brilliant. I love his wind-ups and liberal-baiting - one routine expands on jokes Gervais made at the Golden Globes about Caitlyn Jenner.

I also enjoyed his reasons for not having kids, the madness of social media and what happens to your body as your age (Gervais is now 55).

Some of his stuff made me uneasy though. However as Gervais points out at the start of his show “the thing about taking offence is it’s about feelings and feelings are personal”.

And although it’s ruthless, it’s also quite self-revealing. Gervais talks about life with his prankster brother and growing up on a grim council estate in Reading.

He also likes to brag about his wealth and appears to put more value on pets than people.

At the end Gervais apologises if he has offended anyone, but explains that he has always been determined to have a laugh at life no matter what, and if feelings get hurt in the process then so be it.

“We are all in the same boat”, he sums up. “We are all going to die, so we might as well have a laugh while we’re here.”