Dan Howell’s We Are All Doomed world tour that kicked off at Ipswich Regent Theatre promises a night of laughter, tears and everything in between

“Embrace the void and have the courage to exist.”

That was the takeaway message of Dan Howell’s We Are All Doomed world tour that opened at Ipswich Regent Theatre on Saturday and had fans laughing, crying and everything in between within the space of a few hours.

The show is a no-holes-barred look at the apocalyptic direction the world seems to be heading in, packed full of the comedy, sarcasm and the self-deprecating humour that kicked off Dan’s Youtube career in the early 2010s.

Nothing was off-limits during the performance. Dan delved into everything from the damaging nature of social media to the terrifying possibility of an artificial intelligence takeover and the worrying trajectory of climate change with lighthearted humour and well-placed jokes that landed time after time.

Audience interaction was key throughout the show, much to the crowd's delight, with a series of hilarious games, including a segment where the audience had to choose whether to shoot controversial famous faces into the sun or whether to spare them.

He didn’t hold back on the opportunity to get political either, calling out politicians and world leaders and commenting on billionaires and tax avoidance, all of which went down a treat with the crowd who hung on his every word.

A special mention has to be made of the incredible set design for the show. The lighting, video elements and sound (despite a few technical hitches which were quickly averted with a quip that got the crowd howling) really completed the performance and made each of Dan’s skits feel like something from his classic Youtube videos, which pleased his die-hard fans.

But perhaps most notable of all was the later part of the second half of the show in which Dan got serious with his audience.

In recent years, he has been open about his struggles with his mental health as well as speaking out about coming to terms with being gay and the homophobia he faced throughout school.

The audience was treated to a moment of sincere honesty and vulnerability where the humour and wit was stripped away and Dan explained these difficulties, many of which his captivated audience seemed to resonate with.

Sitting in the crowd, it was clear how much his words of support and understanding meant to his fans and also clear how heartfelt his message of hope was as he quoted himself in a video he made some eight years ago.

“Embrace the void and have the courage to exist.”

It was impossible to come away from the show without feeling giddily hopeful. Despite its premise that the world is doomed beyond repair, Dan was able to make his audience laugh, cry and, most importantly, hope, giving everyone a truly personal and memorable experience.

Hilarious, heartwarming and life-affirming, We’re All Doomed is exactly the show we all need after a turbulent few years, and Dan Howell is exactly the person we need to deliver it.