LENNY Henry, the arena-filling comedian, national treasure and Comic Relief icon, has harboured an all-consuming ambition to be a musician since he was eight-years-old.

The audience chuckled along as the perfect showman, who has 28 whole days on his iPod alone, began guiding us through his life in music – beginning with his first love of Fats Wallah.

It was an amusing autobiographical show, a real soundtrack to a life, as we learnt about his early years, then using dance to court girls, before marriage and the musical compromises that entails.

Things took an emotional turn with the gaping contrast between his dreams and the tough realities of reading, writing and playing – in 1985, music producer Trevor Horn listened to his album and told him to stick to light entertainment.

But telling jokes just isn’t enough: “Music is in my DNA”, he says.

Perking up, Lenny returned to the black piano stage right to dedicate a ditty to the dad we’d heard so much about.

Suddenly a band came on, the stand-up gig became a party and we were up and dancing to the musical influences he’d described with such wit, colour and passion.

And then, after uttering a few imperatives, “Listen to something you love every day” and “Sing to your children!” as sweat dripped down his beaming face, our superstar swaggered off stage.

Where, hopefully, he was finally greeted by a groupie. Comedians don’t get those, you know.