Dave Chappelle surprises Liverpool comedy club with secret show

Liverpool comic Rob Thomas said his night with Chappelle had been "unbelievably surreal"

Comedian Dave Chappelle surprised an audience with an unexpected appearance at a comedy club.

The award-winning stand-up took to the stage of Liverpool's Hot Water Comedy Club on Wednesday for an unplanned set.

The club said it had been given "two hours' notice" that he would appear, but had been happy to have him.

Fellow comic Adam Rowe later tweeted that he had taken Chappelle for a meal in the city's Chinatown on "one of the maddest Wednesday nights".

The US star, who has appeared in films and several comedy specials on Netflix, took to the stage a day before he starts a short tour in the UK with fellow comedian Chris Rock with a show at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena.

Chappelle has starred in a number of films and Netflix specials, but has faced criticism for some of his jokes

Chappelle is one of the most successful comedians in the US, but has faced criticism for jokes and comments he has made in his stand-up shows.

A recent Netflix special, The Closer, saw him tell the audience that "gender is a fact", while in another special, Sticks and Stones, he described trans people as "confusing".

In July, his show in Minnesota was cancelled at the last minute due to the controversy around his comments.

Liverpool comedian Rob Thomas, who was at the show and also joined Chappelle for a meal afterwards, said he and Rock were "at the height of their game, so if anyone was going to talk about it, why not them?"

"At the same time, I do think a lot of comedy is down to intention and content and a lot of things get taken out of context," he said.

He added that the night had been "unbelievably surreal".

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