COMEDIAN Phill Jupitus flicked the switch as thousands watched Leigh’s Christmas lights illuminated.

It was the first time the popular comedian and resident of the town had been given the honour of kicking off its festive season.

He kept a packed, but chilly audience, entertained in the build-up to the switch-on by prompting a mass sing-a-long.

Pat Holden, chairman of Leigh Town Council, which organised the event, said: “He had a bit of time to kill, so he got the audience singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It was all very jolly.

“He’s such a big star, we were thrilled to have him.”

The festivities got under way at 4pm on Friday, with a procession of bands, majorettes and local schoolchildren, who marched from Marine Parade to Leigh Broadway.

Leigh Broadway was closed to traffic from 4pm, and was packed with Christmas stalls and market sellers, while street entertainers on stilts mingled with the crowds.

Leigh Road Baptist Church provided a Christmas carol karaoke, which allowed passing punters to sing their favourite festive tunes.

Churches Together in Leigh, a group representing all the town’s churches, had a stall allowing people to dress up as their favourite Biblical character and have their picture taken against a Nativity backdrop.

The town council was forced to cancel the festival two years ago because of the expense of replacing the town’s old decorations.

This year, it spent £12,000 on new lights, in Leigh Broadway, Rectory Grove and Leigh Road.