Hollywood funnyman Steve Martin surprised the audience at a fashionable New York nightclub by taking to the stage to play the banjo.

The Father Of The Bride star received a warm reception as he performed five songs and read out funny poems for the crowd at The Cutting Room - which is part-owned by Sex And The City actor Chris Noth.

The venue's other co-owner, Steve Walter, was shocked to receive a call from Martin asking if he could come in and play.

He tells New York Post's gossip column PageSix, "We told him, 'Of course!' He just takes the stage and you start laughing before he even does anything." (LR/WNWCPS/TN)

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