One reader John Aldington attended the sold-out event on Sunday night with his wife but said he left early when he had difficulty hearing the veteran comic who hails from Knotty Ash on the hall's PA.

He also questioned "misleading" signage for the toilets.

"What a fantastic refurbishment has taken place in the Royal Hall. It is indeed something for us all to be immensely proud off," said Mr Aldington.

"We shall certainly attend choral/orchestral events in the Royal Hall – but one-man shows? We'll pass on that."

Alison Griffin, head of marketing for Harrogate International Centre acknowledged there had been some operational problems and apologised to guests.

She said they would be reviewing the fine-tuning of the Hall's PA and acoustics, as well as working on the good management of visitors in general.

She said: "Harrogate International Centre always endeavours to offer all its guests a great experience. From learning from this particular event, we aim to ensure that Royal Hall guests will continue to delight in the range of forthcoming events."