AFTER emerging from a shed built for the space age, Jenny Eclair welcomed the audience to Thursday's performance by suggesting the women should get comfortable by unhooking their bras. She also showed a level of compassion to the half a dozen men spread out in the audience for what was to ensue.

The sketches worked well throughout, especially as a trio, as Eclair, Susie Blake and Kate Robbins bounced off each other with their comic renditions of the trials and tribulations of the average middle-aged woman.

Despite what may have been expected from the tour's title, the show was not miserable and came across as more of a celebration at being grumpy and old as it allows you to do and say what you want and nobody will judge you.

The second half started well with the topical discussion of a female James Bond and how MI5 would benefit from employing middle-aged women as they feel that nobody notices them anyway.

The laughter continued to flow throughout, in part due to the streamlined transitions between the sketches. A personal favourite was the parody of Strictly Come Dancing which had all three Grumpy Old Women demonstrating the signature moves of middle-aged women at a function room disco.

They closed the set by jetting off in their shed to try to recruit more members to the Grumpy Old Women club, and if Thursday evening’s performance was anything to go by, they will no doubt succeed.