I went to see Adam Hills film his new live DVD at the Hammersmith Apollo last night. There was a hiccup with the ticketing which meant that Hills started an hour late. You'd expect this to put the audience in a pretty humourless mood, but with Hills it had the opposite effect. After a brief apology it was on with the show and everyone was more delighted than ever that the gig had started. Maybe it helped that the great British comedy audience had extra drinking time, but I suspect that it was just Hills' winning personality. He is so relentlessly cheerful it is impossible to be angry with him or not start smiling in his company.

One particular thing that struck me about his performance was the fact that his inclusive style meant that people were happy to contribute at a moment's notice almost without hesitation. At the start of the show Hills walked in to the stalls to chat to 12-year-old called Josh. Now most 12-year-olds that I know either mumble at their feet when spoken to or don't talk at all. This one seemed delighted to join in, completely unembarrassed. Even when Hills noted that his voice was very deep and suggested "they've dropped". Josh didn't show off or hog the limelight either, he was just happy to be involved.

Later on Hills went even further, plucking an American out of the crowd and getting them up onstage to sing the US National Anthem. She was slightly nervous at first but before you knew it she was giving it the full Whitney and hitting the highest of notes. There were other people that joined in later on too and the finale ended with, among various surprises, Josh and the others up onstage taking a bow.

I had two thoughts. Firstly, how brilliant. Secondly,  if Hills had come over to me I'd have immediately crawled under my seat and/or kept my mouth shut. I'm not quite alone in this. I happened to be sitting next Brian Logan, the Guardian critic, in Edinburgh a few years ago when Brian Gittins tried to get him up onstage. Logan – who is also an actor so clearly no shrinking violet – stayed resolutely glued to his seat. And having seen what Brian Gittins does to his fans onstage I don't blame him.

I've done public speaking before and don't have a problem with it. Maybe Brian and I are closet control freaks. We are happy to perform when we are in command (or maybe just getting paid for it) but when we are punters we prefer to remain punters. Yet we seem to be in a minority. All the other fans Hills picked out during the gig were more than happy to play ball. 

There is a skill to picking the right people. One clearly develops a radar for who is going to be a sport and who is going to be a royal pain. I've seen Derren Brown do this really well - when he is choosing people to hypnotise he is just as likely to reject quiet ones as enthusiastic "me, me, me!" fans. Maybe even more so. Performers such as Hills, Al Murray and Dr Brown are so good at this it is not surprising some mean-spirited cynics wonder if they use plants. 

This audience participation phenomenon seems to be getting more and more popular. Maybe comedians are realising that they have to do more than tell brilliant gags to stand out in an increasingly competitive market. But it has also become apparent that the public seems to be up for this kind of immersive comedy too. I wonder if we are now entering a post-X-Factor era where everyone feels as if they have the ability to be a performer whether they are in a talent competition or not. I always thought that the British were a shy, retiring race. Clearly, judging by last night's gig, that is no longer the case. Though, in fairness, the woman who sang the national anthem Mariah Carey-stylee was American, so perhaps we still have some way to go.

Adam Hills' new DVD, Happyism, is out on November 18. Order here.