ONE of the nation s best-loved comedians and an advocate of education came to Weston to look at the town s new multi-million pound campus this week.

ONE of the nation's best-loved comedians and an advocate of education came to Weston to look at the town's new multi-million pound campus this week.

Lenny Henry pulled up to the site off Loxton Road on Monday and proceeded to reduce teachers, staff, students and by-standers to tears - of the funny kind.

The comic legend, who was smartly dressed in a pin-striped suit, stopped for photos before giving a talk to the media about his experiences of education.

Lenny told the Weston & Somerset Mercury: "This is a great place with great facilities, which can only be good.

"My mum died six years ago and I decided to leap of a cliff - into education. I did an Open University degree in English literature.

"I had to do a time management course though. It is all about the hours.

"I would be watching telly at home and Dawn would say 'I suppose you need to go and study now' and I would say 'OK.'

"In school my memory of Shakespeare was having to read out Romeo and Juliet in class. All the time we were laughing while the teachers were outside having a crafty fag."

Lenny, who is married to fellow comedian and The Vicar of Dibley star, Dawn French, went on to give a presentation to students, delighting them with his best gags, before going on to work in smaller groups with the youngsters.

Weston College's University Campus, which cost an estimated £15million to build, offers degree level courses in association with other further education centres in the South West and also houses the college's art and design and music departments.

The site also has its own two-storey sixth form area, The Jill Dando Centre, with seminar rooms, computer suites and science laboratories and is linked to two others by a spectacular glass covered bridge overlooking the front of the site.