COMEDIAN Alexei Sayle was well and truly turned on when he visited Bury's Met arts centre.

The TV star officially switched on The Met's new neon sign before his performance at the Market Street venue on Saturday (Nov 17).

Hed is pictured (right), along with Bury mayor Councillor Paul Nesbit, outside the popular arts venue.

The new sign is the latest in a series of refurbishments to The Met, paid for by a £80,600 award from the National Lottery Arts Fund and Bury Council.

Ged Kelly, director of The Met, said: "We have long needed to assert our presence on Market Street. Too many people ask 'where is the Met?' Now we will be much more visible."

"The sign will clearly identify the main entrance and highlight the building's architectural features. The sign's contemporary design celebrates a modern Met looking to the future."

It was designed by Bury artist Tracey Cartledge, taking astronomy as her inspiration.

Tracey (34) was educated at Bury Grammar School, where she won the school art prize, and later at Wolverhampton Polytechnic where she received a first-class degree in fine art.

She is based at Sigma Studios in Hulme. She could not attend the official switch-on as she had given birth to a girl just days before.

As well as doing the lighting-up honours, Alexei was at The Met to read from his new collection of comic short stories The Dog Catcher.