Review by Steve Bennett

I hereby diagnose Gyles Brandreth as suffering from a new condition called appellative dyspraxia. Main symptom: forever dropping names.

Here he serves up a series of anecdotes from the worlds of theatre and politics, where he has spent a fascinating life. Everyone is here from the Queen to Richard Whiteley – I’ll leave you to chose whether that is from the top down or bottom up – including Michael Redgrave, John Prescott, John Gielgud, John Major and more.

These after-dinner yarns are punctuated with some hoary old jokes, creating what you might expect to be an hour as twee and smug as befits a plummy-voiced man who founded the Teddy Bear museum and is probably still most famous for wearing hideous jumpers on daytime television. That, however, is where you would be wrong – for Brandreth is an absolute delight, the soul of indiscretion with untoppable tales, fruitily told by a man who seems born to do this.

His delivery is a touch declamatory, but he’s wonderfully self-deprecating, and a right old charmer when it comes to chatting up the front row. But although there may be a few pub gags in the mix, he can come up with such beautifully comic turns of phrase as ‘John Prescott, the man who uses the English language like a Rubik’s cube.’ Now that’s classy writing.

There are some tales from his early days as an actor, although it is the Westminster tittle-tattle which is the most compelling. He is that rarest of creatures, a genuine and likeable Tory, and in his five-year Parliamentary career Brandreth rose to be a junior minister in John Major's government. It’s because of him weddings can now be held outside places of worship and register officers. But it’s his weary interaction with his Chester constituents that provide most joy. ‘You may have contempt for politicians,’ he concedes, ‘but this is as nothing compared to what we feel about you.’

His constituency these days are people who’ve seen him on Countdown and The One Show, who might dutifully come out for a glimpse of the man off the telly, regardless of the quality of the show. But he hasn’t short-changed them – producing a smart, funny hour, with a few revelations thrown in for good measure, which should appeal to any comedy fan. Recommended, no matter what you think you think about him.

Review date: 29 Aug 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett