SOMETIMES rude, occasionally crude, but always very very funny, actor Robin Askwith had the audience at Darlington Film Club in stitches – much like the unfortunate patients of mad Dr Storm's gruesome experiments in Horror Hospital.

The little known comedy-horror was screened at The Forum, the club's Borough Road home, on Monday, followed by star Askwith delivering his one-man show.

Billed as his 'second coming', Askwith was returning to the venue after last year's tour de force following a showing of his Confessions of a Window Cleaner – and once again he did not disappoint.

He regaled the audience with a series of anecdotes from his life and career, shamelessly name-dropping at every opportunity – industry legends Gregory Peck, Sean Connery, Brad Pitt, Quentin Tarantino and The Chuckle Brothers among those featured.

Although best known for his appearances in a series of bawdy 1970s sex comedies, Askwith has an impressively long list of stage and screen credits which provide him with a wealth of material for his high energy show.

Clearly enjoying himself and interacting with a responsive audience, he ripped through a set which included stories about tap dancing with a disintegrating robot monkey, the part he played in casting the role of a Star Wars legend and a curious tale involving Lady Olivier, Leonard Rossiter and a pair of underpants.

Askwith pokes fun at himself and his profession, but behind the laughs it is clear he takes his craft seriously and is rightly proud of his body of work.

Darlington Film Club is establishing a reputation for attracting the stars of some weird and wonderful films - and organisers are promising more to come.