Joe Pasquale is far more than a squeaky voiced comedian.

Like the late, great Tommy Cooper, he has the knack of making audiences dissolve into hysterics without even opening his mouth.

Proof of how good he is came at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, on Thursday when local funny man Tucker and ventriloquist Steve Hewlett were among audience members convulsed with laughter.

Pasquale was at his best when joined by his tour manager Ray Tizzard, AKA Raynard, his 'twin brother'. Raynard was even nuttier than Pasquale as he bounded around in his underpants adding to the mayhem.

“What did I tell you in the dressing room?” demanded Joe. “Don't do that in the sink,” retorted Raynard.

Like the immortal Cooper, Joe uses a variety of props and magic tricks. But the man who became King Of The Jungle in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here has his own unique routines.

Who else would begin their act by hitting marshmallows into the audience with a cricket bat and then attaching a basketball net to their head for us to throw them into?

Impressionist Paul Burling, a finalist on Britain's Got Talent, also earned lots of laughs, especially with his Del Boy impersonation, but needs to update his characters.

Four stars