HE came, he saw and he conquered - you can say he certainly made more than a good impression.

Alistair McGowan is on a brand new tour combining his outstanding comedy talents with his new-found passion for classical piano music.

Alistair McGowan – The Piano Show is an absolute joyous revelation.

He is best known for 25 award-winning years in the world of comedy, but has moved out of his creative comfort zone and now offers two shows in one.

There's his laugh-out-loud faultless impressions with witty scripts and now accompanied by sensitive, unforgettbale piano-playing of the classics.

Wirral Globe:

Alistair McGowan

He walked on stage to a packed Merseyside audience saying: "Hello Liverpool . . . and then 'Hello Birkenhead'."

And there followed a few Liverpudilian take-offs in his impressions of Paul Hollywood, John Parrott and Steven Gerrard.

His two-hour showcase - including an interval - was slick and super entertaining.

He began playing the piano in 2015 and within two years, he had released Alistair McGowan: The Piano Album which topped the UK Classical album charts and reached No 2 in the Classic FM chart.

The album featured 17 short piano pieces by composers including Satie, Chopin, Grieg, Bac, Glass and Gershwin.

He must bethe first person to mix stand-up comedy with straight classical music in a live setting.

It works maqically - the balance may seem bizarre on paper but he hits all the right notes comedic and musically in the right order.

Without training as a musician, his ability to perform in public under pressure and then to slickly mix the music with his stand-up now sets him apart.

And, in its two previous incarnations, he has introduced a new audience to short, classical piano pieces from composers including Cyril Scott, Yann Tiersen and Madeleine Dring.

The 57-year-old said: "Rediscovering the piano as an adult has been a great joy to me, and being able to share that joy with others is both a privilege and a huge pleasure – although I continue to be in total awe of trained pianists who can play far more intricate pieces than I could ever attempt.

"If I can encourage someone else to follow their own dream, whatever their age, then that's even better."

Alistair is re-born. Catch his new show if you can - you will not regret it. He even finds time to chat with the audience after each performance.

"You've made me happy," he said at the end.

"I hope I made you happy," he added.

You did ... Alistair, you did.

Globe verdict: Classical act!

Five stars

See www.alistairmcgowan.co.uk for tour and album details