"One of the worst days of my life" said Brand

The sell-out show at St David's Hall in Cardiff, was called off 20 minutes before it was due to start on Sunday.

In a statement Brand said he was very sorry, adding: "The weather was awful, the traffic abysmal, and the car overheated."

A spokeswoman for the venue said it was negotiating to reschedule the show.

Fans arriving at the hall to see the presenter of Big Brother's Big Mouth were told of the cancellation at 1940 GMT.

A spokeswoman for the venue said it was negotiating to reschedule the show.

She said: "I think they were hoping that they could have got him here, maybe have a late start, but I think it became increasingly obvious that was not going to happen.

"Occasionally people do turn up very late on stage. It's not unheard of.

"But when his managers said he was having transport problems, it became more and more obvious that there was not going to be a solution to it."

We will reschedule the show for the summer, and it'll be amazing and I'll perform any penance necessary Russell Brand

In his statement, Brand added: "And West Ham lost - it's one of the worst days of my life.

"If you want a refund, contact the theatre - but we will reschedule the show for the summer, and it'll be amazing and I'll perform any penance necessary."

He added that he was in the process of having a Welsh dragon tattooed on an intimate part of his body as punishment.

Andrew Beacham, who travelled from his home in Cwmbach, only found out about the cancellation when he arrived at St David's Hall 10 minutes before the show.

"It's a bit late in the day to cancel, I'm not very impressed. I don't think anyone is. I may not be able to go to the re-scheduled date which will be very disappointing.

"There were loads of people in the foyer who'd obviously been very excited to see Russell.