FOPPISH toff Will Smith bumbled into York last night, stuttering and apologising his way through a disarmingly entertaining set.

Armed with the wretched social skills of an ultra-rich, boys' school-educated outcast, Smith confronted modern life from a true misfit's point of view.

Hitting back at unruly pedestrians who hurled random insults at him across the street, he bemoaned historical misfortune. "Two hundred years ago, you'd have worked in my factory! Who'd have been laughing then?"

The upper-crust comic may be cut from the same well-manicured, luxury cloth as Hugh Grant, but flashes of a warped Alan Partridge cut through his set as Smith convincingly recalled his disturbed past and outlined his ham-fisted approach to woman.

As out-of-fashion as the quaint cord/jacket combination he wore on stage, floppy-fringed class-warrior Smith expressed love for musical deadbeats Dire Straits and Genesis (without Peter Gabriel).

And he claimed he didn't have time to meet girls when growing up because he was penning a follow-up to the Disney sci-fi flop Tron.

From the off, Smith - who has supported Vegas and O'Hanlon - was saying sorry to punters who expected to see his more illustrious US namesake.

Owning to an embarrassing mix-up, the Men In Black megastar was last night speaking to Eton Chess Club, although stand-up Smith told York that wasn't as humiliating as the time he mistakenly presented the MOBO awards.

Overall, Smith's study in social boorishness stood up to a 40-minute York set, although his gentrified persona occasionally grated, and it would be fascinating to see how this Hooray Henry handled a hostile crowd.

Updated: 12:34 Monday, December 01, 2003