SOME comedians make the famously terrifying job of striding onto stage and winning over hundreds of people expecting to be made to laugh look utterly effortless, and Irish comedian Ardal O’Hanlon is certainly one of them.

When he breezed on to the Town Hall stage in High Wycombe last night, he looked completely at home, the audience all too pleased to greet him.

And rightly so, because O’Hanlon was terrific company for the course of his act. Warm, engaging and thoroughly likeable, he has a well-polished manner that makes him seem more like an old friend who’s turned up to share some witty thoughts, stories and observations, than a comic who is actually delivering the same (more or less) performance night after night.

On support duties was Pat Cahill, who did a decent job of warming the audience up. I’d not come across him before and, again, he was a likable presence but his act was a bit more hit and miss. There were plenty of successful jokes but his erratic and experimental style – which involved a drum and bass routine, some fast-talking stream-of-consciousness gags and a touch of music hall thrown in for good measure – meant a few fell by the wayside.

As soon as O’Hanlon shambled onto stage, though, there was the sense the audience knew it was in great company. His act may not be anything groundbreaking, and is one that keeps the laughter coming gently and often rather than reducing the venue to hysterics with a few killer gags, but that is all part of his easy-going charm.

When he wanders out, wide-eyed and sheepish –trading cannily on his most famous role as hapless Father Dougal in classic sitcom Father Ted – it is impossible not to be won over. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that O’Hanlon is a good deal sharper and wittier than poor old Dougal ever was.

He covers a meandering range of subjects – from growing up in a small Irish town to the trials and tribulations of Catholicism, taking a few cheeky detours into his own sex life and some barbed potshots at some key political figures of the day.

He has a well judged banter with the audience that sees him more or less befriending them rather than having to fend off hecklers. And he clearly made the most of a wander round Wycombe earlier that day, throwing in some crowd-pleasing local observations and details (he seemed to find the German-themed Christmas market in Eden particularly amusing).

His isn’t the sort of show you go to for controversial, cutting edge comedy or spiky witticisms that leave their targets reeling. But if you are after a more laidback show that delivers a consistent stream of chuckles and some smart jokes with a (generally) warm heart then you are in safe hands with O’Hanlon.

His tour runs until Sunday, December 1, with upcoming shows in Basingstoke, Wimborne, Ilfracombe, Bridport and Plymouth.