Paul Smith has told how he chartered a plane to get to a gig in Belfast after arriving at the airport without his passport.

The comic recently had two gigs in the Northern Irish capital within a few days of each other – but accidentally left his passport in the hotel on the first visit.

Speaking on the Have A Word podcast, he said: ‘I got cocky because every time I’ve been to Belfast I’ve never once shown my passport, because you don’t technically need one. But I always take it with me just in case.’

But after heading home from the first gig he realised on the way to the airport that he’d left the travel document behind.

‘I was like "Well I’m back here next week, I’ll just get it next time… we’re in the same hotel. I rang the hotel and said, "Keep all that for me."

‘I got back to [Manchester] airport the next week to fly out and fucking Aer Lingus were like, "We’ve just changed the rules, you need your passports."

‘And I was like, "I fucking left my passport in Belfast." And they were like, "There’s nothing we can do. We don’t know who you are." And I went, "You do know who I am because you’ve just got a selfie with me."

‘Everyone on the plane was going "I’ll see you tonight". I was like, "I don’t reckon you will, you know…’

He said the only solution was to drive from Manchester to Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport to charter an airplane to ‘smuggle me in’ to Northern Ireland.

Smith revealed he was originally quoted £12,000 for the 165-mile flight, but he haggled it down to £5,000 for four people, agreeing with podcast co-host Adam Rowe that it ‘wasn’t too bad’.

The comic explained that it was a ‘dead leg’ trip, where the plane had to return to Belfast anyway, and would have to fly empty if it didn’t find any last-minute passengers.

While domestic travel does not legally require a passport for UK citizens, airlines have their own policies, with both Ryanair and Aer Lingus requiring passports.

Smith does own a boat, a 44ft Sunseeker Superhawk 43 sports cruiser, which might ave done the job – but it is berthed in Torquay, Devon.

The comic has recently put the vessel on the market for £170,000, saying his family has outgrown it.

It is on sale here, where the broker says: ‘She delivers exhilarating performance whilst maintaining impressive efficiency and reliability. The boat has been exceptionally well cared for, with numerous upgrades including a hull respray, replacement full cockpit upholstery [and more].

‘Presented in incredible condition, this Superhawk 43 represents an outstanding opportunity to acquire one of Sunseeker’s most sought-after models.’