IT’S not often a man can get up on stage and compare himself to Jesus and get away with it.

But comedian Russell Brand has enough charm and cheek to win over the strongest objectors.

The Arthur and Forgetting Sarah Marshall star was at the O2 Guildhall Southampton last night with new show Messiah Complex.

From the get-go he says he will prove he is similar to some of history’s greatest leaders, from Gandhi to Che Guevara, which he did with often hilarious results.

For example, Russell is like Malcolm X in that they both can silence a crowd, albeit with wildly different hand gestures.

But the show is more a critique of modern society, from consumerism and advertising to the evils of the media, with the Daily Echo earning a brief mention.

But he endeared himself to the crowd straight away with a healthy dose of Portsmouth jokes, prompting a humorous exchange with one of its disgruntled citizens.

Sometimes he allowed his intellectual prowess to undo the humour, drifting off into tangents almost impossible to follow, while at other times the shock of his jokes outweighed the value.

But for the most part this was an extremely funny and intelligent show well worth a watch.

Support act Mr G, a talented poet, was also good fun, although the crowd reaction to his verse was a little subdued.

But anyone who references characters from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in his jokes is alright by me.