AS someone who has largely stuck to the theatrical domains of drama, opera, dance and tribute shows aplenty, it was time for me to broaden my horizons.

Quite frankly, I needed to lighten up a bit.

And what better place to start than with Coastal Comedy's Colossal Show, headlined by Lost Voice Guy and winner of Britain's Got Talent, Lee Ridley.

Ridley, who lives with cerebral palsy and uses a communication aid in his routines, kept the jokes coming thick and fast, poking fun at people who ask him the same tedious questions such as 'have you ever just tried to speak?'

He had the audience in hysterics when telling of how he dealt with a domineering passerby who wanted to help him across the road - whether Ridley liked it or not - and got his own back by wobbling as though he would fall every time the man tried to let go of his hand. Ridley said he made sure the man took him the long way home, hand-in-hand, and he ensured they walked past all of the area's gay bars!

Ridley's live performance injects the magic into his pre-prepared routine. With hand gestures, cheeky smiles and nods to complement his gags, this Geordie comic knows how to work the crowd.

The near-capacity audience was warmed up for the talents of Ridley by compere Adrienne Coles, who enlivened proceedings with her tales of internet dating as a single parent.

First act Tania Edwards made us smile when she mocked her yummy mummy London existence and consummately delivered some near the knuckle terrorist jokes about her husband.

Fellow Londoner Nathan Caton continued the comedy but with a very different kind of humour - the Hammersmith local regaled us with stories of his girlfriend moving in and her multiple messy ways, including 'changing her mind' and leaving toast on top of the toaster when she decided not to have toast any more!

Once the jokes got flowing with Caton they continued thicker and faster, with a tale of his treatment as a black man when performing stand-up in Romania simultaneously the shock and the comical denouement of the night.

This night of sharp humour had something for everybody and converted this first-timer into a fully fledged lover of live stand-up comedy.

JOANNA DAVIS