COMEDIAN Ed Byrne hopes the audience in Weston-super-Mare will stay in their seats when he comes to town, Peter Dyke writes.

His new show Tragedy Plus Time has divided fans - with some even walking out of the theatre.

This is because it's all about his comedy director brother Paul who died of liver failure through drinking and Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2022 at the age of just 44.

Some feel that death is no laughing matter.

But the Mock The Week star has defended the show and explained that it has actually proved therapeutic for many also going through a grieving process.

He explained: "When I was first doing the show I had a couple of walkouts and a couple of complaints, but I remember when I did the show in Edinburgh, one night I could hear people talking about it afterwards.

"And the most interesting comment was a guy and a girl and her saying ‘I just don't think it's an appropriate subject for comedy’ and him going ‘But that's why it was so brilliant’.

"I thought that sums it up pretty well. I have had a lot of emails and direct messages on Instagram from people where the show has caused them to reach out to family members. It's mostly been positive."

Ed, who is 52, has just been to New Zealand with his show and says the audiences there were tougher than British ones.

He said: "New Zealand audiences tend to be a little bit more reserved, more unwilling to participate, shall we say.

"Thankfully I don't rely a great deal on crowd work. But every night, you know, you just have to ask a question, and the audiences were like ‘Why is he talking directly to me?’"

The Irish comic says that although the audience will come to the theatre not having any idea who Paul was, he hopes that he ''does right by him'' and that when they leave, they will really know him.

He added: "For me, that is the nice thing about this show. And actually, one of the more gratifying comments that I have had is from people who did actually know Paul saying it was like getting to spend another hour or so in his company which is a very positive remark."

The tour is proving so popular that it has been extended until April next year.

Asked what he plans to do next, he said: "I will probably start writing the next show."

Ed Byrne and Tragedy Plus Time will arrive at The Playhouse on Sunday September 15.