Rocky Balboa is not the only laughable figure making a comeback. The last time Sean Hughes was gigging regularly the Millennium Dome sounded like a good idea.

Since then he has made his name on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and acted with Sienna Miller in As You Like It.

These days he is not sure whether people recognise him as "a TV star or because I live four doors down", so decided it was time to hit the road again.

At 41, "but spiritually 11", he still has his own hair, teeth and distinctively self-obsessed philosophy. This is a man who can be so moody he sometimes sleeps in the spare room - even though he lives alone.

In 1990 when Hughes became the then youngest winner of the prestigious Perrier Award he seemed prematurely cynical; in middle age that cynicism sits comfortably on those stooping Irish shoulders.

The subject matter is nothing to write home about, but Hughes has retained his piercing eye for a cheeky, expectation-flipping one-liner. Instead of newsagents that will only admit one child at a time he imagines schools with a sign outside saying "one shopkeeper allowed at a time." Bird flu, dog death and even 7/7 came under his twisted gaze, while some quickfire banter with the sold-out crowd made it feel as if he had never been away.

But Hughes really excelled when indulging in extended navel-gazing riffs. His favourite topic is clearly himself and he mined the fact that he is an unashamed commitment-phobe for every giggle.

He thought by now he'd be married with kids, or, more realistically, "divorced with weekend access".

Instead he still plays pranks and enjoys teenage indie pop, even though record shop assistants give him withering stares at the checkout.

There were occasional dips where Hughes' train of thought hit the buffers or he tried to be uncharacteristically political, but when he found his stride this warm-up for his national tour was high-calibre comedy. If there were not quite enough punchlines for a knockout, then it was certainly an easy victory on points.

• For details of tonight's show: 020 7907 7060.