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As much as I love the BBC and their attempts to cram every single gap of post-watershed schedule time with stand-up and panel shows, there does come a point where I sit down to watch a comedy programme and have to ask myself the following questions: a) ‘Er, have I seen this one before?,’ and b) ‘Oh god, does it have Michael McIntyre in it?’ This week, however, it was a relieved ‘no’ to the first question, and – well, depending on your McIntyre tolerance levels – ditto for the second because hurray! A new series of Live at the Apollo started last Thursday.
On the other hand, if it was new and up-and-coming talent you were looking for, you might have been slightly disappointed; the producers were evidently playing it safe for the first episode, booking 8 Out of 10 Cats panellist and QI veteran Sean Lock, and the Beeb’s Comedy Darling Of The Year John Bishop. That’s not to say these two men are any less funny if you’ve already seen them before – there’s a reason Lock is headlining this show for the second time: his act contains a unique balance of charm and gleefully twisted metaphors, a slightly warped variation of the usual feel-good observational comedy. One moment he’s a family man, talking about the kids dropping raisins in his car (‘Sometimes it feels like I’m driving a muffin!’), the next, he’s casually pretending to eat ‘puffin hearts.’ This is the man who, some years ago, imagined murdering a budgerigar on stage using a teaspoon after all.
Maybe it was just careful planning, but the grounded, down-to-earth character of John Bishop contrasts Lock’s fantastical humour and bizarre imagery nicely. There really was no escaping Bishop on television this summer – with a barrage of panel show appearances and even his own programme (John Bishop’s Britain), I was nervous about seeing a patchwork of his old material. But in a clever move, he delivered what seemed to be a specially tailored account of his last appearance on Live at the Apollo. It’s easy to scorn his fast rise to fame, but Bishop clearly has a way of recounting his personal experiences that strikes a chord with the audience. There’s no quick fire jokes, but a slow, steady narrative that incorporates a large amount of self-awareness, making it easy to empathise with him. It’s not particularly edgy or daring material, but it’s endearing enough to give you a light-hearted chuckle on a Thursday evening.
One thing that’s always irritated me about this show – and it probably is just me seeing as they always do it – is when the comedian ‘heckles’ a guest ‘celebrity’ in the audience. It feels so contrived and awkward to watch, especially with a target as easy as Esther Rantzen. Unless, of course, it’s every comedian’s dream to mock Stephen Tompkinson (yes, really, that guy from Wild At Heart!) and his hot air ballooning adventures on national telly. Surely it would be a better, more realistic, showcase for the comedian’s talents if they were seen putting down an angry, drunken audience member who’s armed with rotten tomatoes? Ah well. Next year, perhaps.
It’s good to see some slightly newer faces appearing in the following shows, as well as those already well established on both the comedy circuit and primetime television. Watch out in the next couple of weeks for Danny Bhoy, Greg Davies, and my personal favourite, Jon Richardson.
The second episode of Live at the Apollo airs on Thursday at 9.30pm on BBC1.
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