A dip in the recent May temperatures did not deter comedian Lee Evans' diehard fans who began queuing at 10pm last night for tickets to his two shows at the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft, to go on sale at 10am today.

The first fans came along with camping stalls and sleeping bags to cheerfully prepare for their all-night vigil.

Theatre manager Martin Halliday said: 'A large proportion of the fans had turned up by the early hours and by the time we opened, the queue went right back through the shopping precinct.'

Evans will be appearing in Lowestoft on June 22 and 23 as a warm-up for his forthcoming national tour.

Because of the demand for the 1,400 tickets, each person in the queue was rationed to two. By closing time the show had sold out.