MULTI-talented David Baddiel kicked up a barrel of belly laughs at Preston's Charter Theatre when he performed his stand-up show.

The comic is best known for his laddish antics on BBC2's Fantasy Football League with flatmate Frank Skinner. Both featured on the Euro 96 anthem Three Lions.

And football was the focus of much of his material, along with toilet humour, and observations on pornography and sex.

The show was shocking in parts and could have offended the faint-hearted, but Baddiel bonded well with the audience and had them squealing with laughter, not squirming with disgust - just!

The Too Much Information Tour was aptly named because Baddiel has a 'stupidly confessional drive' to reveal 'ridiculously personal details'. He even invited questions at the end, and was bluntly honest with his answers.

Baddiel had done his homework, and had a jibe or two at local night spots and even a quick swipe at a rival newspaper!

Many seats remained empty - surprising because Baddiel and former stand-up partner Rob Newman were the first British comedians to perform and sell-out at the 12,000-seat Wembley Arena.

However, the 800-seater Charter Theatre was just the right size to create a close-knit atmosphere a good comedy night needs. The finale was pure black comedy, concerning censuses of centuries ago which listed reasons for death, including distraction, piles and lethargy. Laughter was also cited as a cause. The audience had a narrow escape!

NICOLA JOLLY

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.