Sharples has that indescribable 'star quality' that separates the jobbing comedian from the naturals.

Charismatic, confident and effortless, Sharples electrifies the room like a human Van der Graaf generator - instantly raising the energy and keeping the momentum going throughout his unfailingly fast and funny set.

The punchlines keep rolling in this lively routine that mixes personal, punny and observation styles into a most impressive whole. And he has the most brilliant execution, utterly suckering the audience before unveiling the unexpected, and often surprisingly silly, pay-off.

There are criticisms: some of his once-topical material is starting to show its age, and hosting his own club, the Iguana in Chortlton, Manchester, he's more low-key, and does have a tendancy to 'over-compere', spending too much time in dead-end chats with the audience rather than driving the night forward.

However, when the occasion demands it, he proves himself one of the north-west's more promising talents.