Second Life gig for comedian Carr

Carr was named best stand-up at the 2006 British Comedy Awards A day out in Second Life

Stand-up comedian Jimmy Carr is to stage a gig before an invited audience in the virtual world of Second Life.

His performance at a venue in London on 3 February will be simultaneously delivered within the online community.

He will be turned into a 3D character - an "avatar" - with performers tracing his movements in real-life so they can be replicated on computer screens.

Second Life has more than 2.3m users and lets people develop characters, as well as "buying" land and possessions.

Last year pop group Duran Duran became the first major band to announce they would be playing concerts in the virtual world.

BBC Radio 1 has been renting an island as a venue for music festivals, while BBC Two's Newsnight programme conducted an interview in Second Life.

Competition

Tickets for Carr's gig will be given away in a competition on the comedian's MySpace site this month, with the option to apply for either the real-life show in London or the virtual performance in Second Life.

But only 50 fans can see the stand-up in person, with a similar number watching the online show, Carr's spokesman said.

Carr - known for his sharp one-line jokes - was a winner at the British Comedy Awards in December.

His live show was named as the best stand-up performance of 2006.

As well as his solo tours, he is known as a TV presenter, and has hosted four series of Channel 4's quiz Eight Out of 10 Cats.