THE Welsh accent was woeful, the Thai average and the Czech bizarre. But it was the Leominster lilt that really hit the spot when Stephen K Amos appeared in Hereford last night.

The comedian opened his set at The Courtyard by asking where all the traffic was going in a village that was only “half finished”.

His journey from London had been a lengthy one that was made even longer by a Sat Nav sending him through thousands of villages to Hereford United’s “shed” of a stadium.

But those gathered were grateful he made the effort as the night made for an intimate gig where he spent the first half of the show getting to know the audience.

His sharp responses led to some gentle teasing of people – and places.

After being warned against using long words, simple – if effective – jokes were made about Herefordian “apple munchers” and one of the city’s biggest employers.

Amos said he would be having words with his agent after being told that the strange smell surrounding the venue came from Sun Valley’s nearby chicken factory.

“I’ve played at the Royal Albert Hall,” he said. “And now this – chickens.”

The second half of the show was dedicated to the theme of spokespersons. The kind that apologise on behalf of a company for a particular scandal (think horse meat) before disappearing back to a life in their company’s shadows.

Jokes based on race and nationality were a frequent theme and one Czech woman living in Hereford was ironically asked if she knew that the country was full.

Many of the biggest laughs came from such innocuous conversations with the audience. As one tale proved about the extreme sport of venturing out after dark in Leominster.

The audience quickly informed Amos of the correct pronunciation for the Herefordshire town before he mimicked his theatre of teachers; hammering home his best accent of the night like a true “Lemner” lad.