HE’s mostly known for being the ‘sidekick’ of Ricky Gervais but Stephen Merchant seemed to dominate the stage and the crowd during this performance.

The lanky funny-man is currently touring the UK with his show Hello Ladies which, surprisingly, focuses on his relationships and his un-luckiness with the opposite sex. Although he is one half of (arguably) the best comedy team in Britain, Merchant wastes no time in telling his audience how unsuccessful he has been with the ladies. He’s known best for his roles in The Office and Extras but Merchant on stage appears slightly less confident than the man we have all come to know.

The star focuses on how unlucky in love he has been during the last few years and creates some giggles when talking about his love-life which involved some ugly, up-close imagery.

Throughout the show he discussed his rare height and labelled it a hindrance. He played out some awkward scenes including clumsily sitting by the emergency exit of a plane already in flight, which had most spectators giggling with laughter.

Although Merchant (or shall we call him Marshall?) definitely gained some laughs from his fans, his routine seemed mostly an extension of Gervais and The Office characters, in particular geek Gareth. The jokes were different but the delivery was very similar. The show, perhaps innovative by nature, felt a bit like de-ja-vu.

Perhaps the beginning of the show was testament to the fact that he is always going to be in Gervais’s shadow and this followed throughout the routine.

Although Merchant’s show definitely deserves a look, he may never achieve the dizzy heights of his ‘nibs’ (Ricky G). After all, most people will look for glamour and not ‘IT support’.