RHOD Gilbert isn’t very happy.

Apparently the press thinks he takes the most trivial of life’s problems — such as buying a duvet — and magnifies them.

Most of the reviewers seem to see that as a negative thing.

But try telling that to the 3,500 punters who caught his excellent show, Rhod Gilbert And The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst, over two nights at The Lowry in Salford last weekend.

His 90-minute routine is a non-stop laughter fest and, when delivered in that Welsh accent, which you may recognise from the VisitWales.com adverts he “starred” in, the jokes seem even funnier.

He banters with the crowd at the start and deals with hecklers, including one who comes all the way to the front of the stage to request a birthday shout out, with the kind of aplomb that wins support from the wings without ever really alienating the idiot in question.

The duvet gets a fresh airing as does a tale of how he ended up buying 27 hoovers. But it is the story of the show’s title which is the real key to the expertly delivered climax. I won’t ruin it because there are still a lot of dates left on the tour — including new nights in Manchester and Blackburn — and I’d hope that some of you fence-sitters may read this and buy tickets which, I’m told, are selling very fast after some well-placed appearances on Would I Lie To You and Nevermind The Buzzcocks.

But for a comic to pretty much work bits of his whole routine into a 10-minute ending that pulls everything together is a rare skill that should be celebrated.

Don’t believe everything you read in (some) papers, Gilbert is one of Britain’s finest comedians who has the kind of longevity that will see him on top of the pile for a long time.