The joke was on us at the launch of the town’s newest comedy night.

A Kent Messenger billboard on stage which bore the slogan “full coverage in this week’s KM” gave compere Rufus Hound plenty of scope for laughs.

The night was an encouraging start for the new Hazlitt Arts Centre, which will host the monthly comedy night Laughing Boy on the first Wednesday of every month.

Two top acts on the UK comedy circuit performed and three budding amateurs took their turn at the mic.

Nigel Numas from Ashford, and Dan Cardwell and Rob Callaghan, both from Maidstone, entered the KM-sponsored open-mic competition.

Mr Callaghan, who is 18, said: “I’ve been thinking about doing comedy for years, but I only started doing it in March.

“I did my first stand-up at The Man Of Kent in Rochester and I was suckered by it.”

Mr Cardwell, 29, was just pleased not to be booed off stage by the accommodating Hazlitt crowd.

He said: “Last year I entered a competition and got booed off stage by 120 people.

“This year I went back and won it.

“It was actually the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Comedians Seann Walsh and Simon Evans were both received well and the compere’s upside-down crow imaginary graph had to be one of the night’s highlights.

Mr Hound had nothing but praise for those in the open-mic competition, saying: “They’re actually worryingly good.”

Mr Evans was impressed by the reception he got in a town which has a past reputation for its tough crowds.

He said: “I thought the crowd warmed up nicely.

“It’s quite a hard ask on the first act, but by the time I got on it was easy.”

Theatre and events manager Mandy Hare said: “I thought the comedians were fantastic. For an inaugural event it couldn’t have been better and it can only improve.”