Comedians are rallying around fellow stand-up Simon Clayton after he suffered a stroke. 

A crowdfunder set up by comic Susan Murray to help ease his financial worries has raised almost £9,000 in just five days, three times the original target.

And the page has attracted more than 160 messages of support and good wishes from across the circuit.

Clayton has been a fixture on the comedy scene since the mid-1990s, with a routine he described as revolving around being ‘fat, mixed race, married and balding’.

He has also made appearances in TV shows including Jo Brand’s Through The Cakehole, Sean Lock’s 15 Storey’s High and Harry Hill’s TV Burp.

Clayton is married to fellow comedian Mary Bourke, and they performed a show together at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe.