FOR a man who is renowned in more than 100 countries, Ricky Gervais has a pretty skewered perception on fame.

And this was the foundation of his third stand-up show on egos, the cult of the celebrity and media reactions to his success.

Instantly boasting an aesthetic irony, the satirist triumphantly stormed the stage at the Manchester Apollo donning a cape and crown amid the backdrop of a massive fluorescent sign bearing his own name.

Playing with perceptions of his supposedly towering ego, the comedian used the platform to launch a particularly poignant but light-hearted attack on the two-bob celebrities that plague the reality TV era.

Gervais even managed to skirt around controversial issues such as terminal illness and religion without a single hesitation infusing the subjects with a guilty humour.

The Office and Extras star emanated a natural charisma and confidence on-stage and despite suffering from man-flu, he was on top form.

What particularly is impressive about Gervais' stand-up is that he always creates 100 per cent new material for his tour and his hard work shines through and pays off.

A couple of niggles were that some of the anecdotes weren't actually that strong and some of the humour lacked the satirical bite it needed.

But Fame was an appropriate title for this tour because, like it or not, everyman Ricky Gervais is in the big league.