Category Archives: Comedy

Review – The Comedy Crate Festival, Northampton, 6th June 2026

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Comedy CrateA thing of beauty is a joy for ever, and things don’t come much more beautiful than the Comedy Crate and their regular feasts of fun for the good citizens of Northampton and its environs. In the past, the Comedy Crate has hosted a weekender festival over two summer days, but the World Cup and popular music festivals (whatever they are) are getting in the way this year so the weekender has been split into two all-dayers. All the other elements are the same – the three venues (Charles Bradlaugh, The Black Prince and The Lamplighter), a choice of three shows five times throughout the day, and a cheap ticket price buying you one of those must-have wristbands. What more could anyone want?

Comedy Crate June 26Everyone will have created their own individual choice of shows, and I can only tell you about our own particular itinerary, so here goes! As they’re all WIPs (works in progress) in preparation for either the Edinburgh Fringe, UK tours or prospective shows of the distant future, we know we’re unlikely to see a truly polished product, and so giving out star ratings is inappropriate at this stage. So I won’t do it!

2pm – Ahir Shah in The Charles Bradlaugh

One of our favourite comedians and an Edinburgh award-winner to boot, Ahir Shah is WIPing up material for his new show, Golden, at the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh from 6 – 30 August. This was very much a game of two halves. The first half was slick, polished and classic Ahir. Now that he’s comfortably in his 30s, he reflects on what growing up is all about, relating to family life, class and one’s role in society. We find out how come he doesn’t know his place in the Indian caste system, and get an insight into why he doesn’t trust the Co-Op. Halfway through, however, his material takes a darker, more serious tone as he works his way through some troublesome family issues, and here he is still working hard on finding the funny in the toughness. Many’s the time one sees a comedian and realises that their set is actually an exercise in self-therapy, and this is definitely the vibe here! He admitted that he had prepared a slick ending for the show, but he’s decided against it because it’s just not honest enough. So while there’s no work needed on the first half of the show, the second half still needs to find a shape. But if anyone can, he can, and I’m sure this will be another tremendous Edinburgh hit.

3.30pm – Sooz Kempner in The Charles Bradlaugh

Another comedian we’ve seen several times before in Edinburgh and always enjoyed, Sooz Kempner’s Comedy Crate debut was in preparation for her Edinburgh show this year, Imposter, at Hoots @ Nicolson Square from 15 – 23 August. Sooz Kempner always loves a creative mix of stand-up and media projection, with some singing cropping up for balance, and this is shaping up to be a terrific show which brings together many different threads and ties them up into a very satisfying whole. She’s a wizard with the callbacks (visual as well as verbal) and included in the package is some beautifully unexpected Streisand, a Princess Diana calendar, and how writing jokes for Eurovision could have turned out better. At the heart of the show is her Imposter syndrome, made more acute by a health issue, and – let’s face it – no one wants to turn into Julie Andrews. She was absolutely on fire and the audience loved her. Not much more preparation needed and this will be a knock-out show in Edinburgh.

5pm – Sara Barron in The Black Prince

Unlike the other performers we saw, Sara Barron is neither working towards an Edinburgh show, nor a tour, but just formulating some new material for use at some point in the distant future. So, there was very little in the way of polished material in her set; instead, we were there to help her work out whether any of the vague ideas swirling around her head might be funny. Fortunately, Sara Barron is not just a naturally funny person, she’s a naturally hilarious person who puts me in mind of a less showbizzy version of Joan Rivers, who wisecracks effortlessly with the audience. It’s fascinating to watch the process of material coming together, and whilst there were some ideas that have legs and some that don’t, that’s what it’s all about. Even so, the hour flew by and everyone had a good laugh; and you can’t say fairer than that.

7pm – Glenn Moore in The Charles Bradlaugh

Another favourite comedian, Glenn Moore does have an Edinburgh run coming up, but it’s a work-in-progress show at Monkey Barrel Comedy from 3 – 16 August, before going on a national tour afterwards. Glenn Moore cuts an imposing figure on stage; I always think he looks like a super intelligent chief executive, which has to be a compliment. He takes a scattergun approach to his work in progress, with no obvious connection between any of his comic ideas, and he is brutal in rejecting anything that he doesn’t feel gets a loud enough laugh – even though you can tell he’s dismissing some pretty good material. Nine out of ten jokes were brilliant – high standards have clearly got him where he is today. Always reliable for top quality, well thought-through observations, this is obviously going to be another winning combination when he’s satisfied that he’s got it as perfect as possible!

8.30pm – Rhys James in The Charles Bradlaugh

New to us, but with a good reputation, our final act of the day was Rhys James, whose Chop Logic show will be at the Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh from 17 – 30 August.  I guess this was a work in progress in preparation for that run, but the act is pretty much immaculate all the way through and certainly Fringe-ready. A remarkable find, Rhys appeals to young and old because his material is always fresh, creative and incredibly funny. I loved his inventive material about how we should all emulate the Turkish economy, how he’s branching out with his painting hobby, the perils of transporting a poo sample, and a delicious way of teasing pensioners. Polished, confident, and constantly rip-roaringly funny, he’s the real deal and no mistake. A fantastic end to the day.

There are several more Edinburgh preview shows in the offing with the Comedy Crate, and of course Part Two of their weekend All Dayer in July. Can’t wait!

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Underground at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 30th May 2026

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Screaming Blue MurderConstant as the North Star, Screaming Blue Murder returned on Saturday to the Royal and Derngate, under the kindly watch of our regular host with the most, Dan Evans. Battling against the hot weather, he got to know selected members of the full house, including Dean (or was it Paul) and their accompanying stag/hen celebrators, and the teachers at the Academy of Performing Arts (Bedford branch) – I know, that doesn’t sound likely, does it?

In a change to the advertised programme, our first act, and new to us, was Aaron Simmonds, who despite – or maybe because of – his cerebral palsy presents an energetic and boisterous persona on stage and drives his act forward with enthusiasm and attack. He turns his condition into a strength with some very funny – but also challenging – material on the subject of disability, and he has an entertaining tale about one’s priorities at the Paralympics. His material didn’t always land as it should, but his confidence and endless surprises more than made up for it.

Next up, and another new comic to us, was Alex Bertulis-Fernandes, an engaging performer with a quiet, laid-back style that lulls you into a false sense of security and then hits you with a killer line. She has some great material about rescue dogs and sexual liaisons, which she delivers in a gently knowing manner, with excellent timing and an unhurried warmth. Quirky and original, she gave an assured performance and the audience loved it.

Our headliner, and someone we haven’t seen for more than fifteen years, was Alistair Barrie, who comes out of the traps all guns blazing, with terrifically indignant material about the perils of the world today. He has some great material about how little we had to worry about back in 1999 in comparison with 2026, and he mixes intelligent and ribald observations about world politics with his own family experiences. I loved the idea that his aged parents live in a house made from old Daily Telegraphs! Dynamic and fast developing, he has an instantly captivating style and you hang on his every word. A fantastic end to the evening.

That’s the last Screaming Blue of the Spring, but no doubt it’ll be back when Autumn leaves start to fall!

Review – Comedy Crate Mixed Bill at the Malt Shovel, Northampton, 24th May 2026

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Comedy Crate at the Malt ShovelWhat better way to round off a gloriously warm Bank Holiday Sunday than to enjoy an evening of first-class comedy in a traditional English pub? This was one of two Comedy Crate gigs in Northampton on Sunday evening – those nice people at the Comedy Crate are certainly putting their backs into providing our comedy quota, and hurrah for that, I say.

Our host for the evening was Andy Gleeks, late of Ireland and now of Oxfordshire, and what a tremendous live wire he is. Deft at getting to know the audience as well as delivering his own very funny material, he gets the balance between MC and artist perfectly. He has a comfortable, warm persona on stage, coupled with just a little hint of danger – which means he can lull you into a false sense of security and then go for a killer line. He kept the evening going at a great pace and I’d be very happy to see him again.

Our first act – and someone I would normally associate with being a headliner – was the irrepressible Gerry K, another performer who is so gifted at leading you up the garden path with his stories, so you think they’re going to go one way, and then he takes you somewhere totally unexpected. Instantly engaging, he sets up a great rapport with the audience through his enthusiastic confidence and his indomitable cheekiness. With his very relatable material – especially with a middle-aged audience – it’s always a pleasure to spend half an hour in his company.

Next up, and someone we’ve seen once before at the Edinburgh Fringe, was Tim Biglowe, who uses his hippy hair and demeanour to great effect with some well-pitched self-deprecatory jokes, and many sequences of unexpected and original material. Challenging preconceptions, his delivery flows beautifully and dynamically and he had us all in the palm of his hand. An immediately likeable performer, Mr B will surely be a big name of the future.

Headlining was Kevin Daniel, a fifty-nine-year-old Glaswegian (he was very keen that we note his age) who riffs off the audience immaculately, poking good-natured fun at us and getting away with it because he’s simply very funny. His style is to tell longer comic scenarios rather than rattling off a scattergun approach, which works very well as he explores all the humorous possibilities in, for example, an unanticipated prostate examination. Terrific rapport, winning material, Comedy Crateand a great way to end what was one of the best mixed bills we’ve seen in a long time.

There are more comedy shows in and around Northampton in the near future from the Comedy Crate as part of their Comedy Festival – don’t miss out on an excellent opportunity to see great comedy!

Review – Phil Ellis, Bath Mat, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 21st May 2026

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Phil Ellis’ first Edinburgh Fringe show was back in 2008, and he was once a contestant on TV’s Taskmaster. Nevertheless, I’d never heard of him until the Royal and Derngate announced his Bath Mat tour on their listings; that was all the impetus we needed to see him for ourselves. As soon as he came on stage, Mrs Chrisparkle felt that he looked like someone else but couldn’t quite put her finger on who. Halfway through the second half it came to her in an instant, and she whispered it to me. She’s absolutely bang on, but you’ll have to read to the end to find out who it is.

Phil Ellis comes at his humour from an unusual angle, embellishing himself as a top drawer, master performer, full of pizzazz and charisma, only to spend the next two hours deflating himself as a plucky loser. Essentially, he takes the showbiz comedy genre and neatly deconstructs it; your all-singing all-laughing comedy genius is in fact just a guy from Preston who’s had to move back in with his parents at the age of 44. To enhance that façade, he is often accompanied by Tom Short; not a traditional, separate support act, but someone engaged to whoop us up in a frenzy of excitement for his first appearance and who crops up occasionally when Mr E needs an extra pair of hands.

It’s a very clever idea and fertile ground for some great self-deprecatory material, which Mr Ellis delivers with great timing, heart and a lot of appeal. He cuts an immensely likeable character on stage; someone we can identify with because no one is really as good as they make themselves out to be. He provides a running commentary on the show, pointing out for example that this part is weak, or that part needs work. His crowd work is fantastic, with a devilish memory for detail; it was fascinating to observe just how confident the audience was in interacting with him. On so many occasions you see a comedian work hard to get comedy gems out of an uncomfortable, unwilling audience member, but Mr E’s audience is always ready to give as good as they get, even heckling themselves at one stage, which is something you don’t often see.

Despite his breezy, light-hearted style, he often takes his comedy where angels fear to tread, for example starting off with an “accidental” image of Ruth rather than Phil Ellis and giving us a few asides about her hanging; or talking about a favourite Auntie who was murdered, but still creating some funny punchlines. At his best, his material soars with an excellent balance of fantastical but not overly-stupid observations. Some of his material fails to connect; a section where he invites the audience to heckle him didn’t work because of its artificiality (the audience members were going to decide for themselves when they were going to shout out, not be told when!) and a good boy/bad boy media projection sequence didn’t really achieve anything. Why is the show called Bath Mat, I hear you ask? Because a bath mat was one of the final straws that ended his previous relationship. Yes, I’m not quite sure I believe that either, but it’s all jokes.

Overall, it’s a very funny couple of hours that at times can have you in hysterics, and others you’ll just be wondering what the heck is this bit all about. Nothing against Mr Short, but I found their interactions the least entertaining aspect to the entire show; Phil Ellis doesn’t need another person on stage to make us realise how funny he is. Bath Mat has been touring the UK since February and, after a couple more dates in May, will continue to tour in September and October.

Leonard Rossiter. Imagine a young Leonard Rossiter doing stand-up. That’s whom he reminded us of!

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Underground at the Derngate, Northampton, 10th April 2026

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Great to see another sold out house at this month’s Screaming Blue Murder in Northampton, another sign that our local comedy scene is in the rudest of health. Our host was, as usual, the effervescent Dan Evans, spinning his bon mots left right and centre as he got to know the people in the front rows, which included the staff from the Pytchley pub in West Haddon who were much better behaved than they were two years ago (!) and a never ending range of engineers – consultant, building, mechanical, sustainability… you name it, there was an engineer for it somewhere in the front rows.

Our opening act was Justin Panks, fifty years old (allegedly) but distinctly a lad at heart. Hailing from Norwich, although his accent suggested otherwise, he has a confident, assertive presence on stage. His routines included how different things are today in comparison with the 1980s – particularly for the fellas, the intricacies of managing step-kids, and the pros and cons of shaving one’s balls. Occasionally taking us where angels fear to tread, some of his material might have alienated certain sectors of the audience, but he certainly provided a lot of laughs, and that’s what it’s all about.

Next up was Louise Leigh, a lively lady packed with impish spirit, who regaled us with stories of how she’s coping with moving into middle age, if not disgracefully then at least creatively. She’s acquired the colourful hair, she’s in love with her campervan, she’s started going to festivals and she’s devoted to her dog. She also has a husband and teenage kids, so there’s a lot of life-juggling going on. It’s all recognisable and relatable material, delivered with expert timing and a winning way.

Our headliner, and the only act we’d seen before, was Jon Long, a very funny chap whose seemingly mild and gentle character belies a wicked grasp of devilish humour. His opening routine about attending church as a youngster has a brilliantly unexpected punchline and he has the audience in the palm of his hands from then on. He has great material about having a wife who’s much tougher than he is and intersperses his set with a few comic numbers on the guitar, that always pack a punch. A most unassuming comedy star, but a star nonetheless.

Will there be another sold out show at the next Screaming Blue Murder on 30th May? You should come along and find out!

Review – Comedy Crate at the Charles Bradlaugh, Northampton, 9th April 2026

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Comedy Crate at the BradlaughForgive me Father, for I have sinned. It is eleven months since we last attended a mixed bill night at the Charles Bradlaugh – where does the time go?! Fortunately, we chose a stonker of a good night to make our return – and we were joined by a packed house of happy return customers for a truly rip-roaring night of comedy.

Our host was Kelly Convey, whom we haven’t seen since the golden days of Covid, on one of those surprisingly successful Zoom gigs and in the garden of the Black Prince pub. She’s a warm, friendly and ebullient presence who instantly gets the crowd on her side – bless her for thinking that Northampton is classier than Chatham – with engaging stories about attending childbirths and how life has changed since she rapidly became a mother of three. She generated a positive and supportive vibe to the evening’s proceedings which really helped the show go with a bang!

First up, and someone we’ve seen many times before, was the irrepressible Jack Gleadow, an impish presence with a quirky voice and hilarious comedic creativity. For much of the act he responded to musical cues from easily recognised pop tunes; something we’ve seen him do before, but it’s always brilliant – I love how he uses Popcorn to accompany dating app usage, and his observations on how men and women respond differently to swiping are brilliantly revealing. Terrific at engaging with the crowd, he brought two chaps up from the audience, the willingly good sport Paul and the bemused Jamie, for a jolly bum-slapping routine – all I can say is, you had to be there. Wonderfully self-deprecating and quick thinking, he’s always a joy to watch.

Next came Darius Davies, whom we saw headlining a Screaming Blue Murder show a couple of years ago, but with a very different selection of material. Using his Iranian heritage as an appropriately timely introduction to his set, he took us through two cringingly and riotously funny stories. First, when he posed as a woman on a dating app to find out what it’s like for a woman to deal with the kind of comments men dish out; and then a delicious account of revenge served cold after Ryanair were unhelpful and expensive over charging him for a boarding card. Beautifully delivered, with a sting in its tail, he is a master of intelligent comedy presented with a serious message lurking just beneath the surface; and the audience loved him.

Comedy CrateOur headliner was, in many respects, the complete opposite, the totally wacky Spencer Jones, whose act is made up of short, seemingly unconnected vignettes, sometimes surreal, sometimes ecstatically funny, always totally ludicrous. There was clearly an element of work-in-progress with many of his ideas being tried out, but we were willing guinea pigs for his daftness. What separates Mr J from many other surreal or absurd performers, is that he makes it clear that he knows what he’s doing is absurd and recognises that we find it absurd too, but he’ll nevertheless continue doing it. Our favourite short sketch was the totally pointless but completely recognisable “man with three beers”; I also enjoyed his “may I taste your soup” routine, especially as I unfortunately made a bit of a song-and-dance over describing the ingredients in my vegetable soup to him. Not all of his ideas worked completely, but those which did, were hysterical.

The next Comedy Crate at the Bradlaugh night is May 14th – we can’t make it but hopefully you can. And it definitely won’t be another eleven months till we make a reappearance!

Review – Russell Hicks, This Time It’s Personal, Underground at the Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton, 21st February 2026

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Expect the unexpected when you see a Russell Hicks show and you won’t be disappointed. Many’s the time when we’ve seen him and any pre-prepared material goes right out of the window as he riffs off whatever the audience chuck at him – his ability to think on his feet is off the scale. Through his conversations with the crowd at yesterday’s show, we met the guy from Bugbrooke who gets fired loads of times, the accountant from Bedford who only likes the river there, the two couples sitting separately who’d seen Russell’s show in Luton where he was almost assaulted, the lady whose doorbell alarm on her phone wouldn’t stop, and the man who was only there for the accents.

Plenty of elements of his new show didn’t go entirely to plan last night in the Underground – thanks to David in the tech box – but that’s pure grist to his mill and creates even more hilarious chaos. All human life is here, as they say; and it’s comedy gold for Russell to mine whenever he wants.

This Time It’s Personal delves – as the title suggests – a little deeper into what makes Russell tick, how he got to where he is, how his somewhat unusual childhood upbringing motivated him to work in comedy and the lessons learned along the way. It could be rather serious material – but not the way Russell Hicks tells it! His main thread in the show is his part-disastrous, part-life changing experience of working as a comedian on a cruise ship. I think he’d be the first to admit that he’s not the most obvious choice of cruise comedian – and his account of dealing with the entertainment director, his rivalry with a magician too intelligent for his years and the audience (largely too old to notice) makes for a series of terrific anecdotes. Naturally, I’m not going to tell you how his experience resolved itself, you’ll have to see his show to find out!

Always a delight to see Mr H – his tour continues into June so don’t miss out on this opportunity to see a master at work!

Review – The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 29th January 2026

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Which Sue Perkins are you here to see tonight? asks Ms P at the beginning of her new touring show – and it’s a fair question. We’ve all got our own ideas on who she is, whether it’s part of the Bake-Off team, or on Taskmaster, or presenter of Just a Minute. For me, none of those apply; my impressions of Sue Perkins are still anchored to the good old days of Light/Late Lunch, and I remain truly impressed with her conducting skills in Maestro. Of course, many of Sue’s broadcasting adventures are tied up with her partnership with Mel Giedroyc, and there are plenty of funny references to how many people can’t tell them apart.

However, The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins is exclusively about Sue and her exploits. Specifically, those exploits that have caused her shame – not all of which are her fault. This isn’t a typical stand-up comedy show; it’s more of An Evening with Sue Perkins where she responds to a few well-planned questions from which she can bounce off into some entertaining anecdotes. But she asks the questions of herself; think Parkinson without Parkinson. It’s a very effective structure because she’s a terrific raconteur who seemingly has no fear about presenting herself in her truest light, warts and all.

Informally dressed – until the final moment – she strikes up an easy rapport with the audience, instantly adopting a let’s all be friends together vibe, which nevertheless doesn’t detract from her genuinely commanding presence on stage. It’s a strangely powerful mix of self-deprecation and vulnerability with a super-confident delivery. She’s one of those performers who like to keep moving on stage; not as freely maniacally as some, but purposefully choreographed – which she attributes to the fact that she has a benign brain tumour.

The tumour plays quite a big part in the show actually, as it’s the source of a number of those shame moments that are beyond her control, sending her down some mental alleyways that are truly ghastly, but which Ms P manages to twist into very funny stories. There are some instances of shame that are completely her fault, however; none more so than her account of an injured stray dog (Sue Perkins clearly loves dogs) that she met in Bolivia and whom she rescued from certain death (hurrah!) – but at what cost? She also tells us of three encounters with shamans (three? Surely one is enough!) with – shall we say – varying levels of success.

The perils of a brief visit to Cornwall, the effects of having your phone hacked, cloned number plates and the residual value of collectable Wedgwood items, it’s all here. Sue Perkins’ comedy speciality is to go in-depth in lengthy detail on a fewer number of subjects rather than touching lightly on several topics. The show positively drips with honesty, and you come away from it with a much stronger insight into the woman behind the name. It’s also – of course – very funny! Sue Perkins is touring her Eternal Shame around the country until April – just make sure you’re not expecting to see Mel.

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Underground at the Derngate, Northampton, 24th January 2026

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Hurrah for the return of Screaming Blue Murder at the Royal and Derngate, and a swinging start to the year with a full house crowded into the Underground Studio. There was a considerable change to the line-up, but I reckon we got a much better threesome than had been advertised (don’t tell anyone I said that). We also welcomed the return of the ever-engaging, always delightful Dan Evans to host us through the melange, getting to know the types of people who risk all by sitting in the front two rows. That included Nathan from the National Grid, and the genuinely fascinating actor based in Hanoi who plays action heroes in video games. Who knew?

However, we must first address the elephant in the room. Or rather, about eight elephants, who were out on a belated Christmas celebration night, fully loaded with alcohol but having forgotten to eat. Teachers, apparently; p*ssed as ar*eholes, definitely. Thank heavens they never revealed the name of the school! They weren’t aggressive but they were disruptive and made it difficult for everyone – the acts and the rest of the audience – to tune into the evening. Fortunately, they made the wise decision to leave in the first interval and carry on drinking in the Mailcoach. Hey Hallelujah!

Sadly, it was up to our opening act, the always hilarious Meryl O’Rourke, to take one for the team and manage these problematic ladies. Wisely she decided not to do any challenging material and instead stuck to the tried and tested Menopausal Meryl stuff. She has some brilliant observations on surviving those testing years; it’s very skilful to make menopause humour equally funny to men as it is to women, and she’s great at it. She confessed that she didn’t really know how to handle those women – but clever wordplay and a roundabout approach resulted in her being able to call them out for what they were (and I won’t say the word here!) but it resonated with us all and she got a massive round of applause for saying it. I’m sure it was the prime reason most of them left to carry on drinking.

Next up, and with peace and stability in the room regained, we had the inimitable Dave Chawner, a regular comedy star at the Edinburgh Fringe, who often likes to come at his comedy from a mental health direction. He told us of his lovely partner Oonagh from Northern Ireland – and the best way to distinguish the two types of people who live there. As an alternative to comedians who talk about their kids, he talks about all the reasons why he doesn’t have kids, which makes a nice change. He’s effortlessly gifted in crafting lovely turns of phrase throughout his act, sets up a good rapport with the audience, and has some wonderfully creative insights into life. I particularly liked his immensely sound reasoning for why some people put up unwanted St George’s flags in inappropriate locations. Top stuff, and he definitely steered the show back into the positive zone!

Our headliner, and another change to the advertised programme, was the irrepressibly mischievous Dan Antopolski, unashamedly one of my favourite comedians. The thing with Mr A is that you can never tell in which direction he’s going to take you. Hitting the ground running with a brilliant – and so appropriate for that evening – opening line about bunches, no subject is out of bounds as he adopts his slightly surreal take on everything. Among his best bits were great reasoning for why you might put socks on before pants, the definition of “a character”, and what constitutes grounds for divorce. Clever and intelligent material, elegantly crafted and phrased, and delivered with wicked style and a knowing look.

Next Screaming Blue Murder night is on Valentine’s Day! If you’re free, why not come? Just don’t pre-load for hours first.

Review – Stephen K Amos, Now We’re Talking, Underground at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 10th January 2026

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One of our favourite funny men, Stephen K Amos is midway through his UK tour of his latest show Now We’re Talking, and it was a delight to see the Underground in Northampton sold out to greet him. Would he have a support act? He addressed the issue in his opening moments when he candidly confessed, he normally would but decided he couldn’t afford one this week. Consequently, we had a good two hours or more of undiluted Mr Amos, and I for one am not complaining.

His message in his latest show is that, in these awful days where everything seems to be going what my father used to call arse-uppards, we need to talk but moreover we really need to listen. It is still possible to “find the funny” in the most unusual or indeed impossible situations – and Mr A is a master of that art. Everyone says you can’t say anything nowadays, which anyone with an ounce of understanding realises is not true; you can, but you just have to be more skilled at it. As Mr A says, if you think and if you listen, you can say what you like; just don’t imitate your Nigerian doctor – as he gamely demonstrated.

Stephen K Amos has always incorporated his brilliant fluidity with accents and attitude in his act, to tremendous comic effect. He wastes no time getting to know the people in the front rows – beware if you sit close to the stage when he’s on, as you will get involved! We met Andrew and Jo from posh Market Harborough, baker Megan and Police officer Georgie; others who remained nameless included a relentless scoffer of Maltesers and someone who chucked him a caveat which Mr A rightly interpreted as a masked heckle, and as a result he regretted his words for the rest of the evening. For all that he’s a hilarious comic, Mr A can get quite ruthless with the audience, so you’d better have your wits about you if you engage unwisely!

At the end of the act, his astute mind and rigorous memory let loose a terrific final routine where he creates a story populated with all the characters in the audience with whom he’s spoken, imitating their manner using their words back at them. It’s incredibly clever and shows just what a smart cookie he is. Mr Amos’ comedy is always intelligent and thoughtful; his observations are well-reasoned and hit the nail on the head. And despite all the problems with the world, you come away from the show feeling uplifted; his is a very optimistic act, and we definitely need more of that!

Hilarious comic observations? For sure. Wordplay? You got it. Instant comic reactions to anything the audience throws at him? Absolutely! The Now We’re Talking tour continues throughout the UK until 7th February; he’s then touring in Australia from March to May with a couple of dates in New Zealand at the end.