The October Comedy Club was always going to struggle after the quality shown in September but a well attended show was anything but second rate.

      Michael Fabbri came out as compere and though he seemed quite nervous (or was that just an act?), was able to move straight into his routine and cracked off some good gags before most people were expecting them. Unexpected funnies kept creeping into his repertoire and set up things superbly for the first act.

      Jack Whitehall is young, middle class and very funny. Using references to stereotypes of those like him and ‘cool’ culture there was a two minute ‘Yo Man’ rap act that could only be done by someone who’s white. The fact there wasn’t quite the natural rhythm of most ‘Afro-Caribbeans’ made it even better. Like the compere, there were some unexpected funnies and it was constant, rolling one thing after another. There’s a big future for this young man.

      Rich Morton is a well seasoned comic and does some work for Radio 4. Some of his material was quite toned down but this musical Geordie was there to cater for everyone. His script had to be changed round because of the way the audience reacted and seemed to work well. Using a couple of localised jokes helped (he’s been at Queen’s Theatre before) and is often where acts crumble because local rivalries aren’t always the same, but he used it in his favour. His act finished off with some musical ditties of old bands with updated lyrics (Paul McCartney’s ‘When I’m 64’ becoming ‘Now I’m 64’ etc.).

        All three had some pretty crude material but didn’t overdo it. Now for November. A standard has been set.

Tim. Coyle