There were points during the first half of this show when Sarah Palin would have probably got more laughs.

A combination of a delayed start and severely restricted views for parts of the audience did not bode well.

Could the politest man in comedy turn things round?

Yes, but it was definitely a close call. This benefit, in aid of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, kicked off with Palin reflecting on two decades of travelling.

The casually dapper raconteur, looking like Hugh Grant’s slightly crumpled dad, rattled through a lengthy selection of exotic photos, ranging from wobbling on camels to having leeches applied, with accompanying anecdotes.

Looking at somebody else’s holiday snaps is never entirely pleasurable and — for those that could see them — this was no exception.

Palin was charm personified but, like his Pole to Pole jaunt, this was a long haul.

The half-time oranges, however, worked wonders. The post-interval section was a more entertaining trek through the most pithy Python stories, from being walloped with a fish by John Cleese to George Harrison financing Life of Brian to press-ganging locals into being Holy Grail extras.

Readings from a lesser-known work, Dr Fegg’s Encyclopaedia of All World Knowledge, concluded a night when Palin’s ripping comedy yarns cured a serious dose of travel sickness.