Romesh Ranganathan, The Cynic's Mixtape, York Barbican

BRITAIN'S comedian-of-the-moment Romesh Ranganathan proved his popularity by selling out two nights at York Barbican on Friday and Saturday.

The 41-year-old indulged his love of hip-hop by having a DJ spin some classic tracks as a warm-up – a fun touch, which got the crowd going.

As Ranganathan delivered his particular brand of cheeky misanthropy, fans chuckled, but he did too, breaking into regular fit of giggles mostly after saying something unpleasant about his family.

Ranganathan doesn't leave the nastiness in the air for long. Seconds after venting his vitriol, he swoops in with an apology and a burst of laughter. I'm only joking, he says. Yes, we know, you are. You are a comedian, it's what we expect.

Ranganathan is not the only comic with one eye on the Twitterati. You do worry that social media and its power to publicly shame anyone who transgresses PC boundaries is seriously affecting comedians' confidence to be comedians.

When he forgot about being Mr Nice Guy, the faux-grumpy dad-of-three hit a satisfying groove. There were plenty of amusing anecdotes about his domestic life – the best being the opener about when one child went missing on Brighton beach.

Piers Morgan, Michael Jackson, and self-loathing at his own body were other targets for his scornful storytelling.

"Is there anything sadder than a fat dad trying to be hip hop?" he mused.

The crowd roared again, finding him anything but sad.