Comedy legend Michael McIntyre proved to be wildly popular in Suffolk today – with one ticket sold for every second as fans rushed to book to see the star.

A total of 1,500 tickets for the ‘Big World Tour’ Ipswich date were sold out in just 23 minutes, as staff at the Ipswich Regent theatre manned the phones and dealt with lengthening queues down St Helen’s Street.

However hardcore fans were disappointed when the Regent website crashed following the release of the comedian’s latest tour date.

Thousands of fans flooded the site both before and after tickets for the performance, on October 4, 2018, went on sale at 10am today.

Fans were told they could purchase their tickets for the Ipswich show from the Regent Box Office online, however the site was reportedly down from as early as 9am.

Alternatively, people had the option to call the theatre – however the line was almost permanently engaged throughout the morning.

Commercial Manager Mark Whiting said: “This was phenomenal. We love it when we put on a show that really appeals to customers from across the region. Everyone who turned up in person managed to get a ticket and we were kept busy on the phones, too.

“The sheer volume of fans trying to book online has caused website issues and we do apologise for the frustration caused but thousands of people are all trying to get through at once.”

He added: “We do manage to get the best shows for Ipswich and Suffolk and that explains the phenomenal demand. 23 minutes to sell 1,500 seats is not quite the record but it is very close.”