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In case you wondered, Michael McIntyre is a tad abashed about when his tour tickets went on sale. There is a disturbing trend for comedians selling out stadium gigs not one but two years in advance. In his encore, McIntyre joked that fans turned up a year early to his London O2 arena gig and found themselves at Batman Live (a different Joker altogether, he quipped, flipping his impressive dark locks).

There was an apologetic element to this line of chatter, however, and he did admit he "panicked" while asking the audience for a show of hands for who bought tickets way back when, and who was still with the partner they intended to come along with. A touch awkward – but on the money.

His Showtime tour must be reaching its conclusion, as huge screens advertised the imminent DVD release (next week, if you're interested), which is bound to be a Christmas stocking bestseller. McIntyre did his best stand-up work at the beginning and the end, as he floundered a little after the interval. Intervals are another thing comedians could do without: why do all the ground work for an hour and come back out to silence and another uphill comedy slog? (McIntyre wondered if Block A had meant to book Frankie Boyle instead, and there had been an online ticket mix-up – nope, they just weren't laughing.)

Ultimately, he's funnier and more likeable than he comes across on the telly and if he tailors his "Scottish" jokes a little more he should go from strength to strength this week. (Though don't slag off Andy Murray; we already know he's dour.)

Michael McIntyre's five-night run at the SECC ends on Wednesday.