Just 16% of tickets for a highly sought-after Micky Flanagan show were put on general sale, a Kent theatre has revealed.

Disappointed fans of the TV comedian told of their dismay after the gig at Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre sold out within minutes.

And now it has emerged just 200 of the 1,200 tickets for the show were available for general purchase, with 780 going to Marlowe members and the rest sold to Micky Flanagan fan club members and via O2 Priority.

A spokesperson for The Marlowe said the theatre experienced “unprecedented demand” for tickets for the comedian’s show, with more than 20,000 people vying for just 1200 seats.

They added: “1000 tickets were made available during the pre-sale on Thursday, of which 78% were sold to Marlowe members.

“The remainder were sold to Micky Flanagan fan club members and via O2 Priority, at the request of the promoter.

“The final 200 seats were released for general sale on Saturday and sold out in minutes.”

They went on to explain that occasionally when promoters have specific deals with booking platforms, theatre bosses are required to allocate a minimal number of tickets to third parties like Ticketmaster.

“Marlowe members are always given priority booking to thank them for their loyalty,” they said.

“Their continued support is one of the reasons why The Marlowe is such a popular venue for the UK’s biggest comedians.”

Micky Flanagan, who has played to sold-out arenas across the country, added a handful of more intimate dates to his latest tour, including a show at the Marlowe Theatre later this month.

Tickets went on general sale at 10am on Saturday but many fans were left disappointed as they were snapped up in a matter of minutes.

The funnyman, who has appeared on TV shows such as Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats, is bringing his sell-out arena show, If Ever We Needed It, to six theatres across the country and will be at the Marlowe on Friday, April 19.