Aspiring comic Duane Efron had Britannia Pier in stitches as he opened for veteran funny man Jim Davidson.

The seasoned showman has taken the 27-year-old under his wing, and Duane said Friday's gig went 'brilliantly'.

But Davidson had some advice for the Bradwell carpenter afterwards: his act could be better if he made more rude comments about locals.

Duane told the Mercury: 'It went brilliantly. I just felt at home and it was a real good feeling.

'The nerves just went and I got laughs all the way through.

'There were a few things Jim said about, like putting local material in and taking the mick out of Great Yarmouth. 'But next time I can work that in.'

Davidson warmed the crowd up before introducing the young hopeful, and a packed venue enjoyed his routine.

Though Duane revealed he could not see much of the crowd as the house lights were dimmed, helping him to forget about the pressure.

'It was the biggest show I've played to date,' said Duane. 'But it was all stuff I rehearsed.

'I didn't get any heckles and it flowed.

'I'm not expecting to be Lee Evans overnight - it takes time.

'I just hope I can jump straight into another big gig.'

The self-employed carpenter, who is married to Jemma with a young daughter, went for a drink in the Pub on the Prom afterwards to chat with Davidson.

'He said to interact with the crowd more,' explained Duane. 'And I didn't give them enough time to carry on laughing - that meant the audience didn't hear the start of some of my jokes.

'He said I did really well and so did the crew.'

Duane, whose real surname is Gooch, honed his skills in the classroom and in clubs and has built a loyal local following stretching beyond borough borders.

He said he was always the class clown and got a real buzz out of making people laugh, but the careers' advisor at Cliff Park High School pushed him towards theatre and acting to get him used to being on stage.

This put him off and - though he carried on writing behind the scenes - he put his dreams of performing on hold.

But then around three years ago he decided to brave another attempt, performing at an Open Mic night in Cambridge, watching from the wings for the first few weeks before building up the courage to have a go himself.

In the end it went well, the audience liked him and he carried on - taking the name Efron in a bid to keep some anonymity while he refined his act.

And Davidson was said to be impressed with Duane's performance last week, and this may not be the last time they perform on the same bill.