On a rainy Newport night, comedy fans huddled into the Riverfront theatre seeking shelter and laughs.

Nish Kumar, star of BBC's The Mash Report and Mock the Week, was in town to hopefully chase the blues away for two hours.

His support act, Rosie Jones, got the crowd warmed up, with quips on her gayness, disability and everything else in between.

Political-comic Nish made it clear that, however audience members may feel, the divisive subject of Brexit was not going to be avoided.

But while Britain's political climate may be chaotic, this expert stand-up deftly controlled the room with news-based humour. The funnyman admitted he found it hard to read recent headlines.

He told the crowd: "Brexit killed the concept of good news, now it's just an endless cycle of misery and despair."

But whatever side of the debate you are on, this humorist is keen to help you laugh at our leaders.

From being let down by celebrity heroes to invasive airport security, the gags came fast and funny.

He had been given free chicken in one of Newport's fine eateries before the gig, but insisted he did not use fame to obtain it.

He joked: "Would the BBC ever hire someone with questionable morality?"

The chuckling crowd left with their spirits lifted.

Declan Harte.