East Enders tried their hardest to keep a straight face in front of comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli when he visited Brick Lane on Sunday.

Anyone daring enough was challenged with coming face-to-face with the comedian, literally, to see how long they could last without smirking.

But there was a more serious tone to the event as he was in the area to help raise awareness of blood cancer.

Charity Anthony Nolan is on a mission to recruit an extra 2,000 donors to its stem cell register, in particular men aged between 18 and 30 as they make the best donors yet account for just 12 per cent of the list.

The day was a success with 90 visitors signing up at the charity’s temporary stall.

Stem cell transplants can replace a damaged immune system in a person with blood cancer.

But the charity currently only finds matching donors for half its patients.