A Hampstead comedian is standing by the classic showbiz mantra that the show must go on by performing on the streets following the closure of his venue for the Camden Fringe festival.

Paolo Ferrari, of South Hill Park, turned his ‘Live and Al Dente’ comedy and poetry night al fresco when Etrusco Bar in Mornington Crescent shut its doors a week after the Camden Fringe began.

The 36-year-old will perform outside the venue in Hurdwick Place, near Mornington Cresent Underground Station, every evening until Sunday after a month of bemusing residents and passers-by with his “random, unstructured and improvised comedy and poetry show”.

The highlight of the show comes when Mr Ferrari puts spaghetti in his mouth to draw people in to watch his energetic performance. He said: “As the great mustachioed man from Zanzibar once said, ‘The show must go on’.

“I did it out of principle, to show people that if you really want something, you can get it and still do it. People have been really supportive.”