LOVE Comedy Live promises a monthly night of talented comedians in the comfortable, intimate setting of Haxby Sports Bar in a new series of shows that began on Thursday.

Our compere, winner of the 2015 UK Comedy Award for Best MC and regular TV warm-up Dan Nightingale, got things off to the great start. His energetic, quick-fire delivery of punchy jokes and quips immediately had the audience laughing, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.

Kicking things off for the stand-ups, veteran performer Silky entertained with a mix of offbeat humour, amusing stream-of-consciousness ramblings and a few songs. His improvised piece, playing off and poking fun at members of the audience, was particularly well received. However, some of his cruder material elsewhere didn’t quite manage to strike the same chord.

Middle-segment performers Lauren Pattison and Philip Smith (Love Comedy Live's promoter) both enjoyed a fun outing. Pattison’s musings on proper ladylike behaviour, underpinned with both poignancy and sheer belligerent coarseness, went down a riot, while Smith’s gently trundling thoughts on children and parenting, although somewhat disjointed, still managed to raise consistent chuckles.

The final act, headliner Mick Ferry, covered topics varying from sex and relationships to fat people and selfie-sticks, giving a brilliant performance that had the crowd roaring with laughter. His unique blend of straight-talking, simple gags, expertly pitched blue humour and genuine sincerity easily made him the highlight of an already very enjoyable evening.