WHEN you’ve wanted to see a comedian live for years, finally doing so is kind of a big deal.

Luckily, Ross Noble lived up to the hype on his latest visit to Bournemouth Pavilion.

He burst onstage through the open mouth of a huge inflatable in the shape of his own head.

But he didn’t rely on the extravagant set pieces or the title of his intriguingly named ‘El Hablador’ tour for a minute.

Instead, he leapt straight into the random musings and lightning fast responses which have made him a much-loved television and radio star.

Within minutes, things had taken a surreal - and rude - twist.

"This joke is wrong on so many levels, but what I love is that you are coming with me," he said.

"Let’s take this further!"

Ross’ wackiness and spontaneity stood the test, and the audience laughed until their sides ached again, again and again.

He involves the crowd from the start, and lets his imagination wander, so the show feels truly unique - not scripted or over rehearsed.

The downside of such a wonderful, meandering brand of humour is that the jokes make no sense in print.

Some of the funniest moments, for example, stemmed from the effects of the Great North Run on his body and ways to kill someone on a train.

Ross is irreverent, intelligent and great at crafting something hilarious from nothing.

Until he’s back in town, you’ll just have to take my word for it.