DVD review by Steve Bennett

In this, his sixth DVD, Jimmy Carr lays bare the inner depths of his psyche as he shines a light on some of the great social issues facing this overcrowded planet.

Nah, only joking. It’s just some jokes. More than 250 of them, by his counting, spread out over nearly two hours. And by now you should have a pretty good idea of whether you’re a fan of his often callous one-liners or not.

But while this title holds few real surprises, there is some evolution. He is a little more chatty and relaxed than previously, and there’s quite a playful spark when he banters with the typically feisty Glasgow audience, secure in his superior status. ‘I shop at High and Mighty,’ he jokes. ‘It's not my size, it's my attitude.’ And at one point any residual deadpan disintegrates entirely as he leads the SECC audience in a singalong of Sweet Caroline. Move over Peter Kay.

It’s awkwardly cheesy, but also quite touching if you know his partner’s name is Karoline; for elsewhere the fictional version of his girlfriend is on the receiving end of some to-be-expected misogyny. But these aren’t particularly offensive – especially when you witness the extremes to which he’ll go, suggesting, for example that the disabled seating area of the theatre should be dubbed the ‘vegetable patch’.

That does leave a particularly unpleasant taste, despite his on-stage insistence that these are ‘only jokes’ – the defence of bullies everywhere. It’s safe to say there there are bound to be other gags that raise your hackles, too.

Sometimes Carr gets rather lazy in his joke writing, simply resorting to easy, uncomplicated abuse for his punchlines, which become a little predictable given that he has such an unwavering style. There are also a few hoary topics in here: do we still need jokes about in which order he’d theoretically shag Girls Aloud after it inclusion in so many stand-up routines, let alone pub discussions?

But amid that huge bulk of gags, there are plenty of examples of nifty wordplay, too – and not always with the ‘rag mag’ style shock payoff. Even then you might admire the craft of the joke, while finding its morals abhorrent.

As well as the banter, Carr has employed his usual devices to break up the one-liners, including projecting some cartoon drawings and framing jokes along contrived ideas such as writing his autobiography. But in the end it’s all about the jokes, and if you already like how Carr does them, you’ll find enough here to keep you happy – though he’s unlikely to convert any doubters.

Jimmy Carr: Making People Laugh
Recorded at: SECC, Glasgow
Running time: 117 mins

Extras: Famous People (7mins of bonus stand-up), Meeting And Greeting (8mins of banter with fans after the show some of them sober); Just For Laughs (Appearances at the Montreal comedy festival in 2003, 2006 and 2007, 16mins)
Released by: 4DVD, out now
Price: £19.99. Click here to buy from Amazon at £11.93

Published: 16 Nov 2010