TICKETS for comedian Peter Kay's first Bolton show in seven years went on sale today -- and sold out within an hour.

A staggering 2,400 fans snapped up seats for his four-night laughter extravaganza at the Albert Halls.

Extra staff had to be drafted in to cope with the queues of gathered outside Bolton Town Hall, despite the freezing temperatures and heavy downpours.

Some fans of the comedian even queued through the night and, 30 minutes before the tickets were due to go on sale at 10am, more than 400 people were patiently waiting in the rain.

Manager Christine Forster said: "We knew a lot of people would buy tickets but we could never have guessed that they would buy them so fast. It was the biggest queue we have ever had outside for a show."

The queuing fans included Martin Sheehan and John Wright who braved one of the coldest nights of the year to get tickets for their hero's first Bolton show in nearly a decade. The pals, both from Westhoughton, camped in the rain outside the Albert Halls from 3.30am.

Martin, aged 19, said: "It was a freezing cold night but it was well worth camping out for a chance to see Peter Kay perform in Bolton. He's a very funny man."

Martin, a student at Bolton College, and John, who studies at Winstanley College in Wigan, ate pasta in the rain at breakfast time and listened to ticket sale news on a pocket radio. They were right at the start of the queue and hoped to get front row seats for Peter's highly-acclaimed "Mum Wants a Bungalow" tour. John, aged 18, said: "Our parents thought we were mad but we're sure that Peter Kay would appreciate what we've done. His humour is all about having a laugh at yourself." Dave Melling, aged 37, from Breightmet was third in the queue. He said: "My girlfriend Paula thought I was crazy when I got up in the cold at 4am to come here. But she won't think I'm mad when I pick up a ticket for her as well. She'll think I'm great then."

The rush for tickets caused chaos overloading at the switchboard at Bolton Town Hall and at the Albert Halls website. The ticket sale success came just two days after comedy legend Bob Monkhouse revealed that he was one of Peter's biggest fans. The aging TV maestro praised the rising star when they met on Michael Parkinson's chat show on Saturday night.