THE man who cajoled Mohammed Al-Fayed into drawing a picture of his private parts in front of the TV cameras appears at St Albans' comedy club tonight.

Mark Thomas has agreed to perform a stand-up show at the Shhh...Quiet Please club in Victoria Street - a real coup for the venue.

The last time this supreme talent played St Albans, he brought the packed house down and tonight promises to be no different.

This is one of the last occasions Thomas will take the stage before embarking on a break from performing.

Most stand-up comics would not dare take a sabbatical from the stage but, so many strings are there to his bow these days, Thomas can well afford to.

His new Channel 4 series of the Mark Thomas Comedy Product had everyone talking last week, containing as it did the aforementioned prank on the Harrods boss as well as some mischievous meddling in Jack Straw's constituency office.

Thomas will be racing up the M1 from a show in London to appear after the regular Shhh.. bill, which in itself features a commonwealth of comedy talent.

Canadian Phil Nicol - possibly better known as the guitar-playing member of comedy trio Corky & The Juice Pigs - headlines the regular bill with anarchic Antipodean Brendon Burns, who tends to trample all over subjects which other funnymen steer well clear of, in support.

St Albans favourite Simon Dowd assumes compere duties for the evening.

Admission is £4 at the Philanthropist & Firkin, with a 9.30pm kick-off.

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