The League Of Gentlemen has a lot to answer for. Along with The Fast Show, it has made the sketch format fashionable again. Duos and trios brandishing costumes and props now rival stand-ups for circuit space. And once a month they gather at the Cochrane, offering a vivid state-of-the-art snapshot.
The weakest guests would barely do justice to a college revue, but some, although still embryonic, have huge potential. The hosts, Susan and Janice, are certainly rising stars. They bounce on like eager puppies, but their act is deceptively clever. A mime to a dating advice tape, all awkwardness and anxiety, is keenly observed, the kind of thing the youthful Rowan Atkinson excelled at. The meeting of the Paranoid Society is bursting with obvious gags but no less funny for it.
A darker shade of light entertainment comes from Shepherd and Farnaby. Their characters, Danny Boon and Big Betty, turn the well-trodden concept of the game show into something pleasingly surreal, theatre of the absurd as scripted by Vic and Bob. Arnold Widdowson also sends up the cheesier showbiz pier-end, but his smug host feels like a draft. It is hard to outstay your welcome with a 10-minute turn, but Widdowson manages it.
The only solo performer is actor Paul Putner, who plays Earl Stevens, a spoof, spent American comic whose references to long-forgotten television shows fall intentionally flat. It is a canny conceit which in a full set would build up considerable momentum. By contrast, The Giant Pineapple Boys work perfectly in this abridged context, recreating an entire musical disaster movie, complete with Pearl and Dean intro and Grease parody. A longer slot might dilute their impact.
On balance the hits outweigh the misses. With television increasingly drawn towards theatrical, fully rounded comic concepts rather than unadulterated gag merchants, some of these acts will certainly break through. Eventually. But the likes of Skinner and Dee will not be receiving their P45s just yet.
Monthly Comedy At The Cochrane
