Alan Partridge's less successful show

It was as the lager-swilling ne'er-do-well Paul Calf that Steve Coogan first introduced the phrase "bag-o'-shite" to the national lexicon. Unfortunately for the Mancunian comedian, currently riding high on a spate of film and television roles, his new live show has found him on the receiving end of the same scatological assessment.

A spokesman for the star was forced to apologise to disgruntled fans of the Alan Partridge creator yesterday after many walked out halfway through his performance of the comedy show at the Liverpool Echo Arena, his first live stand-up tour for a decade.

Afterwards, the local Daily Post newspaper said its website had been swamped with "an unparalleled and overwhelming response" from angry Scousers furious at the quality of two shows witnessed at the new 10,000-seat venue.

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Disappointed fans who had paid up to £35 a ticket queued up to heap bile on the two-hour show, Alan Partridge and Other Less Successful Characters. The paper's official reviewer led the way on her blog, describing it as the "most offensively half-arsed evening of comedy theatre I have ever seen in my life". Heckled throughout, the comic was accused of fluffing and rushing lines by the critic despite some vintage Coogan, which included Partridge's rendition of the Euro-rock dirge "The Final Countdown".

One let-down fan wrote: "Just left the Echo Arena and feel that we've been fleeced. One of the UK's most successful character comedians giving a performance that smacked of a hungover improv not worthy of back street Edinboro' fringe." Another said: "Still totally gutted! Steve Coogan thought he could come to Liverpool and practise on us. Insulting." One remarked simply: "Bag-o'-shite."

A spokeswoman for Coogan leapt to the defence of the star, insisting that the majority of the audience enjoyed the evenings. "A great deal of time and effort has gone into the preparation and production of the live tour. We are sorry to hear that some people did not enjoy the performances," she said.

Speaking ahead of the show, Coogan admitted that Liverpool audiences and those in his native Manchester could be among the most unforgiving. "Vociferous is probably the best word. If they like what you're doing they'll tell you. If not, they'll tell you that too. I like that. You know where you're up to," he said. Last year he was caught up in a public spat with Courtney Love over the apparent suicide attempt of the actor Owen Wilson and claims that she was pregnant with his child.

But Coogan's latest television comedy drama, Sunshine, has been widely admired, while his cameo alongside Ben Stiller in the Hollywood comedy Tropic Thunder was also a box office hit. However, his latest film, Hamlet 2, parodying inspirational teacher movies, which is due for release in Britain next month, received only lukewarm reviews in the US. It was also reported recently that he was to appear in a film version of the life of Eddie "the eagle" Edwards, Britain's heroic Olympic ski-jumping failure.

Yet reviews of his live show even before Liverpool had been poor. One Fleet Street critic described the opening night in Stoke as a "mediocre shambles", lambasting the "hasty, slapdash, improvised quality that was stunning and almost shocking".

The tour continues into December.

Will Steve Coogan complete his current tour?

A-ha! The audience verdict

* "I recently went to see Leonard Cohen in concert and I have to say Leonard was funnier!" Chris Fearnhough

* "The whole thing was a shambles – fluffed lines, under rehearsed, and of course if all else fails, to hide weak material, fall back on the use of foul language for a cheap laugh." Geoff Owen

* "This was a lame performance and I would not bother turning up tonight even if I was offered a free ticket." Tom Billard

* "A bloke leaving summed it up for me 'that's two hours of my life I won't be getting back' and to be honest you wouldn't want them back to sit through that." Brian Mullen

* "The best part of the night for me was getting out of that car park so quickly." Dave Jones