Rapturous start to Little Britain tour

The mammoth Little Britain tour opened in Portsmouth last night to glowing reviews.

Although the show was blighted by technical problems, including the failure of the machine that generates vomit for David Walliams  and Matt Lucas’s monstrous Tory women, it went down a storm with the sold-out audience.

As well as the favourites, from Andy and Lou who opened the show to Dafydd who closed it by singing ‘I’m gay, get over it’, the pair introduced new characters from the forthcoming third TV series, including the incontinent Mrs Emery and Dudley and his mail order bride Ting Tong.

Critics were impressed, too.

Polly Hudson in the Mirror, said: ‘Everything you'd hope to see, you see – and more. If you get the chance to see Little Britain Live, go for it.’

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish said: ‘The rapturous noises with which his unstoppable, camp-as-Christmas double-act were met at the curtain-call resembled the kind of thunderous cheers that would greet Premiership league winners.

‘There are all kinds of reasons why Little Britain has been such a monstrous success. You could say that they've exposed the shabby, self-deluded state of the nation and of many of its gormless untrustworthy citizens. This gorgeous show, however, reminds you that the reason for their success is much simpler… it's about being able to perform with panache and connect with the public at the level of a belly-laugh.’

In the London Evening Standard, Bruce Dessau agreed: ‘Analysts can easily spot social comment in some sketches, but Little Britain is as keen on honest vulgarity as making a political point. At their best, however, they do both.’

And the Independent’s Julian Hall called it ‘this winter's most successful pantomime’.

The show has 108 more dates before coming to a close in Birmingham next May. Click here for dates

Published: 25 Oct 2005