A SCOTTISH comedian who smashed the world record last night for most jokes told in an hour has admitted he finally ran out of gags.

Donald Macleod, originally from Lewis, whipped through a total of 580 jokes in front of a live audience at the Park Bar in Argyle Street, Glasgow, raising almost £3800 for charities.

He said: "I had lots of time to spare and actually stopped a few minutes earlier to spare the audience!

"They were a pretty fair audience - there was minimal heckling, but minimal laughter.

"There were lots of Sean Connery jokes, but the favourites were self-deprecating ones such as "I won an award at Weightwatchers last week - I am the biggest loser."

Mr Macleod, a financial secretary who lives in Kelvindale, Glasgow, and whose stage name is Donnie Maroot, was afterwards congratulated on the phone by staff from the bar in Adelaide where the previous record of 549 was set by Australian comic Anthony Lehmann in 2005.

He cracked jokes on average every six seconds, including classics such as "Doctor Doctor, I can't stop stealing furniture - oh, please take a seat."

Later he regaled the crowd with: "What do you call a man surrounded by beef stock? Stew!"

Mr Macleod said: "I am more than happy to do it again as it's for a good cause."