Sean Lock: Knowledge is funny

You could write a small book about all the things Sean Lock ‘knows’. In fact, that’s more or less what Lock has done, though the emphasis here was as much on the inverted commas as any accumulated knowledge. With his latest show, Lockipedia, the Woking-born comic attempted to run through musings on a whole host of topics, selected via ‘audience battleships’.

Lock has been a figure on the UK comedy scene for nearly twenty years, but it’s only really his tenure as a team captain on Channel 4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats, and guest appearances on BBC shows such as QI and Live at the Apollo, which have propelled him towards the mainstream, while his more worthy accomplishments – take his TV sitcom 15 Storeys High, for example – have unfortunately remained cult concerns. Read the rest of this entry »

For four eyes only? Luton lyricist John Hegley

Poet turned comedian John Hegley must have missed his calling in life. Every inch the cool but slightly frustrated teacher, this family-friendly show saw Hegley adjusting to his well-suited role of being at the front of the class.

His current tour comes at a time when some of his earlier work has been given repeat runs on BBC Radio 7, including Hearing With Hegley and also the surreal Adventures of John and Tony, where he was teamed with Simon Munnery. Read the rest of this entry »

Rhod Gilbert: taking a trip to anger management

It hasn’t quite been a Michael McIntyre-like meteoric rise to stardom for Rhod Gilbert. A late starter in stand-up, the Welshman has graduated from smaller venues before hitting the big stage. With successive tours, his visits to Warwick Arts Centre have seen him move from performing in the studio, to the theatre, and now to Butterworth Hall.

This progress is largely due to regular touring, a run of consistently excellent shows, and of course, appearances on television panel shows and the BBC’s (or Dave’s, if you’re watching one of the repeats) hit stand-up strand, Live at the Apollo. Read the rest of this entry »

Oodles of charm: Irish stand-up David O'Doherty

Here at Who’s Laughing Now we’ve got a bit of a soft spot for David O’Doherty. For a start, the Yamaha-toting Dubliner was our inaugural interviewee for the blog, back in 2008, shortly after his award-winning triumph at that year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Not only that, but there’s a warmth and innocence which courses throughout the Irish stand-up’s own peculiar brand of comedy. It’s unapologetically comforting and cosy, though there’s always an edge to proceedings which prevents things from becoming a touch too nice. Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Vine: Can anyone stop the Joke-amotive?

Not knowing a great deal about Tim Vine, I’m not ashamed to say that initially he gave me the fear. As Vine appeared on stage at Birmingham’s Town Hall sporting a ‘Libertines’ style red military jacket and a hat fashioned from balls of wool I got the sense that wackiness would over power the comedy. I was very happy to be wrong.

Before the show began I afforded myself a quick glance around the packed out Town Hall and was immediately struck by the make up of the audience, it seemed as if about 80 per cent of the crowd consisted of young people with their Dads; I myself had tagged along with a friend and his Dad. Pre-show this demographic had seemed unusual and somewhat alien. Within five minutes of Vine’s performance however it all made perfect sense. Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Herring: He's not the Fuhrer, he's a very funny boy

There’s a real seam of quality which has run throughout Richard Herring’s solo stand-up shows, ever since he returned to the stage. Prolific as one half of a successful partnership with Stewart Lee, their double-act was a key touchstone for an entire generation of comedy fans, with the likes of Fist of Fun, Lionel Nimrod’s Inexplicable World and This Morning With Richard Not Judy all being great showcases for Lee and Herring’s particular brand of humour.

Since then, both have followed their own path – while Lee has been rewarded for regular touring by finding his way back onto mainstream TV with the excellent Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, Herring has steadily grown his live audience via blogging, Twitter, a series of podcasts and a string of imaginative and provocative one-man shows. Read the rest of this entry »

Roger Monkhouse: funniest "thumb" on the circuit

This was the first time I’ve seen Roger Monkhouse and I presume like all others who come across the name the first instinct is to…yep, you’ve guessed it…Google whether he is related to Bob or not (the answer is no). However, the name is not the only similarity between the two, both possess excellent delivery techniques that endear the audience to them no matter how bad the joke.

Monkhouse was an excellent compere, steering the audience into an enjoyable evening and providing the best running joke throughout the night, when heckled for looking like a thumb. Monkhouse kept his cool, was sharp, clever and witty. The funniest thumb I have seen. Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Addison: In the thick of it

Expectations are a funny thing. Gathered among the audience for this, the third date on Chris Addison’s first tour for five years, were probably two distinct groups. His starring role in Armando Iannucci’s sublime satire The Thick of It has made the Manchester-born comedian if not quite a household name, then at least it’s given him a handy moniker as “that skinny bloke who gets shouted at by Malcolm Tucker”.

Though likely a smaller group, there are also those familiar with Addison from his earlier, cerebral stand-up shows and Radio 4 slots, such as The Ape That Got Lucky and Civilisation, not to mention the fondly remembered radio sitcom The Department, which he co-wrote and starred in alongside The Bugle’s Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver. Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Herring: Don't forget your toothbrush...moustache

Few stand-ups have their fingers in quite so many pies as Richard Herring. Since his return to stand-up he has written a strong of acclaimed shows, and is at the helm of two hugely popular podcasts (the weekly Collings and Herrin, with Andrew Collins, and his recent foray into online sketch comedy, As It Occurs to Me).

Currently on tour with his latest show, Hitler Moustache, Who’s Laughing Now had a chat with the enterprising comic to delve into the subject behind the show and also find out how – unlike the rest of us – spending time online has made him more productive than ever before. Read the rest of this entry »

Fur the hell of it: Laura Solon and friend

It’s currently boom time for stand-up, with the likes of Michael McIntyre dominating the DVD charts and Peter Kay selling tickets faster than an England footballer can disgrace himself. But where does that leave character comedy?

Often overlooked in the past decade – unless you’re Little Britain and the Mighty Boosh – there are a host of sketch troupes such as Pappy’s, Idiots of Ants and We Are Klang bagging critical acclaim if not huge ticket sales. Read the rest of this entry »