After five minutes of polite chit-chat, Cochrane began by explaining the nature of his show, Comedy With Sad Bits.

Describing his material as "bittersweet", we were treated to slow-burning commentary on the funnyman's favourite topics - namely food, tragic childhoods and the pros of an unusual death.

Cuisine conversation ran from the observational to the downright surreal as Cochrane rewrote a chapter in history whereby the Second World War occurred due to Hitler's utter disgust at pineapple pizza toppings.

The sad bits came, as promised, when Cochrane waxed lyrical about the cashingin tactics of biography writers (Dave Pelzer's true story of abuse, A Child Called It, came under attack). Speaking of his own tragic youth, during which his father died, Cochrane offered a lighter view of human emotions and successfully turned the melancholia into comedy magic.

Perhaps the best example of this came when Cochrane, referring to the true story of a man whose wife clashed with a hippo and died, suggested that it might be a positive thing if his girlfriend was to meet the same sticky end. "She likes animals, she loves a laugh. She would have wanted it that way".

So pre-show expectations of morbid material were unfounded and instead Cochrane's performance was refreshing and as relaxing as a cuppa with an old friend.

Earlier in the gig, Cochrane voiced his surprise at the fact that no journalist had yet taken advantage of the obvious possible wordplay inherent in the show's title - Comedy With Bad Bits. Maybe that's because, young Alun, there weren't any.