Gig review by Steve Bennett at the Shaw Theatre, London

The transition from Radio 4 to the stage is against the usual direction of travel. But John Finnemore is is taking a punt that his work on Radio 4 – via Cabin Pressure and his Souvenir Programme sketch show – has given him enough of an audience to fill the 450-seater Shaw Theatre for a couple of weeks at £25 a ticket.

Judging by the preview night, he may have overestimated the size of his fan base – but then the triumph of optimism over expectation is often the hallmark of his sharp, middle-class comedy.

But you can’t fault the audience’s devotion. Skits are greeted with hearty cheers, sometimes just from a couple of notes of an introductory tune. It's a reception worthy of a substantial cult star – maybe a little cliquey for outsiders on occasion, but Finnemore's sketches have a broad appeal.

They characteristically encompass the sort of awkward polite Englishness that David Mitchell does so well – not surprising, since Finnemore’s written quite extensively for Mitchell and Webb. The best scenes in this cringeworthy vein involve a coffee shop patron desperate to get credit for his modest tip, or the painfully humiliating messages Finnimore's character leaves on the answerphone of a woman he wants to ask out on a date. We’ve all been there.

However, the bourgeois complaint of restaurants not serving food on a proper plate is not the greatest inspiration for a song, and Finnemore not the greatest singer, but this is a rare misstep. Still if it wasn’t included, we couldn’t use the cliché ‘a bit hit and miss…’ as otherwise this is all strong stuff, from the opening Quasimodo sketch to the showstopping hymn, Thank You Captain Dinosaur, a germ of an idea about religion made gloriously ridiculous.

Though his voice is his own, there are a few comic influences at play over the show. His Le Carre spy spoof set in a zoo has the wordplay and the silliness you might associate with the Two Ronnies' serials; while the Humpty Dumpty scene calls to mind Python as it applies sardonic logic to preposterous legend. Elsewhere the vociferous representative of the silent majority, Roger Wattis is the middle-class cousin of Al Murray's Pub Landlord, offering the counter argument to the Ukippers through wry, ironic mocking.

The strongest reception for the night, however, is reserved for Arthur Shappey, his adorably idiotic but enthusiastic Cabin Pressure character who here delivers an ill-informed ‘lecture’ on polar bears with the aid of a kids’ book.

Other than this, all the skits are from the Souvenir Programme, in which he’s aided by his Radio 4 co-star Simon Kane, although different guests are promised over the run. They mug it up a bit, making a joke of their lack of slickness on this first night, but it’s to the delight of the audience.

However even those who're not with the (Souvenir) Programme should be guaranteed a good night, thanks to the witty, savvy writing behind every sketch.

• John Finnemore's Souvenir Cabin is on at the Shaw Theatre until October 10. Tickets.

Review date: 1 Oct 2015
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett