A top comedian’s admission that he would not perform on the Isle of Man again has sparked a mixed reaction from Manxies.

Earlier this month, Frank Skinner took to stage at the Gaiety Theatre to perform his ‘30 Years of Dirt’ stand-up routine.

The Three Lions singer’s Douglas gig was the first time he’d been to the island.

Shortly after his Gaiety appearance, Skinner spoke about the performance on his ‘Frank Off The Radio’ podcast and overall, he felt his experience wasn’t a positive one

The former Room 101 presenter told how his routine received just one audible laugh from the crowd, which came when he told the fans that he paid 45% tax.

He said: ‘The gig was not rowdy, far from it. About 20 minutes in I realised that I was like the captain of a burning ship, entering a storm and asking for help that I knew would never come.’

‘This man was like a lifeboat that was out there which I couldn’t quite see, and I would say “come soon” [to save me] but he never quite made it.’

Skinner’s comments sparked a mixed reaction online.

Some leapt to the comic’s defence while others were less supportive of the 67-year-old’s views.

Lon Pinkerton outed himself as one of those who had paid to see the comedian on the night, saying: ‘I was the man "laughing uproariously" in the audience and he thanked me twice during the gig. It's a pity Frank didn't enjoy the evening as much as I did.’

John Davies meanwhile believed the comic spoke warmly about the island on the podcast.

He said: ‘He’s positive about the island, just not the gig and even there doesn’t blame the audience.

‘Sure, he says he raced to the airport but that came across as self-deprecation.’

But Virginia Beckett wrote in to say: ‘If he [Skinner] feels like he is captain of a burning ship perhaps he should consider what the audience felt like having paid good money for a seat on that ship!

‘They were probably wondering how the hell they could get off and out of there in the shortest time possible. How could you compare Douglas with Worthing?

‘The man has lost the plot with age!

Dave Cain added: ‘I would not go to see him if it was free, he has a self-opinionated grin and is not in the least bit funny, I bet he plays everywhere just once.’

Another commenter said: ‘Glad there was a boat in the morning’

But a number of people spoke out to show their support of Frank, defending him from some of the more pointed comments online.

Carly McDougall said: ‘Love how people are getting offended, and he didn’t even say anything negative about the island or its residents, just stating the gig didn’t go as he hoped!’