According to recent reports, nearly 40 pubs are closing every week. Maybe saloon regulars are spending their beer money on character comedian Al Murray’s Pub Landlord instead.

The larger-than-life bar steward played to 30,000 fans over the weekend and by the end of his UK tour will have entertained a quarter of a million laugh-thirsty punters.

On Saturday, Murray certainly delivered. Strutting onto a stage surrounded by grand columns shaped like beer pumps, he was soon in his bullet-headed, bantering element.

The front-row squaddie got a patriotic salute, another man was dubbed Shrek and women were told they should be nurses or secretaries. Anyone connected to financial services was blamed for the entire credit crunch.

No comedian is ever going to be as effective at the O2 as they would be in a theatre but Murray had a jolly good bash, working the entire stage, wading into the crowd and getting the sold-out audience to sing as one.

There was, however, a sense of playing things more broadly than usual. Sharper satirical edges were smoothed over in favour of pure rabble rousing. Ultimately, it was sheer force of personality rather than depth of material that made this event work.

Under scrutiny, the best rants boiled down to celebrating the power of alcohol, proving that God must exist because bacon is wonderful and warning us that the 2012 Olympics will be rubbish.

Video screens helped to remind those in the cheap seats that Murray is a superb physical comedian. In one wonderfully observed skit, he mimed coming in drunk and climbing the toilet bowl as if it was the North Face of the Eiger.

Maybe, though, this is the Landlord’s peak and he should shut up shop after the tour. A case of ale and farewell?