A right B’Stard

Rik Mayall transformed into his hilarious comedy creation to promote his show The New Statesman, which is set to enjoy a week-long run at the Mayflower in June.

Ultra-right wing Tory MP Alan praised Southampton as "the funkiest city in England" and agreed with MP Boris Johnston's negative comments about rival city Portsmouth.

But he didn't please everyone - with a number of shoppers failing to see the funny side of B'Stard's scandalous remarks .

Rik, as B'stard, told the Daily Echo: "All the puritans left this city on the Mayflower and went off to America to not drink, then blow up Japan.

"So there's no puritans in Southampton and the audience is going to be made up of the funkiest best people. Southampton is the funkiest city in England."

Adding fuel to the comments by MP for Henley on Thames Johnson that Portsmouth is "too full of drugs, obesity, underachievement and Labour MPs", B'Stard said the comments were "a bit tame" and just showed that "Johnson is in the employ of me Alan B'Stard".

While in town, B'stard also tried to give the mayor of Southampton Councillor John Slade a cash bung and managed to insult many of the city's shoppers while walking down the High Street.

Teenagers enjoying an Easter shopping trip didn't recognise the funnyman and one girl even resorted to ripping his Vote B'Stard' rosette from his suit.

B'Stard pretended to urinate on a busker and a police car, stopped traffic and questioned British immigration laws while holding a spoof electioneering campaign in the city centre.

Rik Mayall appears as Alan B'Stard in The New Statesmen at the Mayflower from Monday June 4 to Saturday June 9.

In the show, B'Stard has a country to run, but is only concerned with joining the Trillionaires Club. You can join him as Tony Blair prepares for his farewell tour and the cabinet discuss the issues of the day - cash for honours, unmarried mothers, the Bush administration and what the Blairs will do next. Box office: 023 8071 1811.