ROCK TAKES STAND-UP COMEDY OVERSEAS

Comedian CHRIS ROCK decided to embark on a world tour after an impromptu set in a tiny London club assured him his brand of humour would translate to foreign audiences.

The funnyman was apprehensive about taking his stand-up show overseas - until a visit to the U.K. last year (Jul07) convinced him his material was popular enough with fans outside his native U.S.

The 42-year-old says, "I was hanging out (in the U.K.) during Live Earth and I went to the Comedy Store, that small club, and got on stage and it was so good.

"People were going crazy and the jokes were working so I thought, 'Okay, let me come back.'"

The comic will kick off the British leg of his No Apologies world tour in Manchester, England on Monday (07Jan08) and is also slated to make stops in Australia and South Africa.