COMEDIAN Michael McIntyre ushered in a new era at a much-loved North-East theatre this evening.

The record-breaking comic was aiming to leave audiences at Darlington’s Civic Theatre rolling in the aisles as he performed ahead of his upcoming Happy & Glorious tour.

The sell-out show was an opportunity for McIntyre to preview material from the 2015 tour. He was supported by Scarborough-born comedian Paul Tonkinson.

The performance sold out in just two hours when they went on sale in August after devoted fans queued around the block for hours in a bid to get their hands on highly coveted tickets.

The comedian received a warm welcome when he walked on stage, but there was some drama towards the end of the act when an angry McIntyre asked security to intervene over a woman in the front row who had been persistently interrupting.

He said: "Security sort it out, I'll be back." McIntyre then left the stage while theatre staff spoke to the woman, as some members in the audience chanted for her removal.

The comedian returned to complete his set a few minutes later.

McIntyre’s hotly anticipated appearance comes just a week after the striking Edwardian venue netted £5m in restoration funding.

The vital grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will mean ambitious plans to revamp and restore the historic theatre can go ahead – with an overall £8m earmarked for renovation.

Theatre director Lynda Winstanley said Michael McIntyre’s appearance highlighted the high calibre of entertainment on offer at the theatre.

She said: “Just a week after the fantastic news on the HLF grant we have one of the biggest names in comedy performing a sell-out show - it just goes to show what a diverse and successful venue the Civic is.

“As we take forward the restoration work, audiences should look forward to seeing our programme of shows go from strength to strength.”

Theatregoers heading in to watch the show said they were impressed that the Civic had managed to attract an act of McIntyre's calibre.

Rachel McGargle, 23, from Darlington, said: "I was quite shocked when I found he was coming here. It's great because he's such a big star coming to such a small town."

Danny Wragg, 18, added: "It's pretty big, attracting everyone to come and see the theatre."

News of the renovation was welcomed by Abi Allan, 22, who said: "I think it's brilliant. It's good to see things being restored, I think it needed something."

Regular theatregoer Kerry Lewis, 48, said she supported the planned revamp, as long as the building's character is retained, adding: "It's a gorgeous building and it would be a shame to see it go to rack and ruin."

Tim Hewins, 44, said he hoped the work would enable the Civic to continue to attract big name acts, adding: "I think it's a good thing, it adds a bit of prestige to Darlington."

Michael McIntyre will return to the region with his Happy & Glorious tour next November, when he is scheduled to perform at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena.

Were you the woman that was ejected from the show? If you would like to give your side of the story, call reporter Joanna Morris on 01325 505072

When audiences go bad - Michael McIntyre isn't the first star whose patience snapped because of a noisy theatregoer. Check out what happened when Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Helen Mirren had enough.