HOW many times, when watching X Factor or similar, have you got angry because the “wrong” person has come in first, second or third?

The “wrong” result, at times, has made me decry the state of the entire country which - for not sharing my viewpoint - is clearly idiotic.

Which is why I was pleasantly surprised the British public voted in the right in order for Show Me the Funny, essentially - however much they try to deny it - an X Factor for comedians on ITV.

It was a show, I’ll admit, which passed me by during its entire run - which meant I jumped at the opportunity to see the top three perform live at the Artrix in Bromsgrove.

The format is simple: the three comedians stood up and showed us their funny in turn, culminating in the winner Patrick Monahan doing a set which had the entire audience rolling in the aisles.

He was, far and away, the best of the three - although, a word of warning: he likes audience participation so, if you don’t, best get seats at the back - but that is certainly not saying the other two were not funny.

Welshman Dan Mitchell, who came second, kept the audience tittering with tales of being an undertaker (yes, really), suffering from epilepsy and being a failure with the ladies.

The audience struggled more with Tiffany Stevenson, a standup comic from north London.

Thing is, she was funny: I’m just not sure the audience were quite ready for her brand of very straight-talking, near-the-knuckle funny.

But what the show really worked well for was as a showcase for each of their different styles. It worked so well, I am recommending you jump at the chance to see any of them.