Student comedy awards 2006

Heat 2: North London

Heat two of Chortle’s hunt for the best student comic produced a strong a diverse line-up… and in a more conducive environment than last week’s East London free-for-all.

First up at the Amused Moose Camden venue in North London was Prince Abdul, a slick, cool-as-ice performer with an impressive ability to slip into a whole range of characters, from Arab to Cockney, from Canadian to Bollywood musical. If only the material lived up to the same high standards, rather than being a straightforward retelling of a simple observation with no real twist or depth, as much of this set was.

Dom Horner is a loud, in-your-face AC/DC fan with the same sort of exaggerated physically that’s worked for everyone from Denis Leary to Russell Brand. It’s a tiny bit fake, but also very effective – and nor does he use his hyperactive energy as an excuse to skimp on the jokes, as there are several witty lines in this lightly surreal set. Horner’s very charismatic performer in the MTV-friendly mould, albeit one who needs more discipline on sticking to his allotted time, and could yet be one to watch.

In contrast, Ed Gamble is subdued and conversational, projecting an image of an awkward loser, uncomfortable around women. His is a very sold set, with a smattering of lines of which he can be proud, most notably on the impossibility of being both sexy and diabetic at the same time, but just not quite enough to stand out.

Caitlin Storey, one of very few women to enter this competition, has a warm, assured delivery but comes up short on gags. She starts reasonably enough, with a few conversational observations about the town she’s from – Ugley – and it’s culture clash from being on the borders of posh Hertfordshire and Essexy Essex, but the set never steps up a gear and ultimately seems more like an easy-going chat than anything with much comic thought applied.

Michael O’Donovan is very deadpan with a minimalist approach to delivery; but he’s not too laid back to come up with a few decent gags, including a surprisingly good Big Brother line. But a longer segment about internet dating via the Guardian website is too slow, and for much of the set-up doesn’t go anywhere. There is a reasonable pay-off, but it needs a few more gags en route.

Cambridge Footlighter Simon Bird makes an odd first impression; with jacket sleeves rolled up to the elbow he looks like an Eighties throwback. Thankfully, that’s exactly what he’s supposed to be – a spot-on spoof of Ben Elton and other supposed radical Thatcher-bashing comedians of the Eighties. It’s ingenious stuff – and very funny too, with its portenteous posturing and self-important proclamations, a comedically close relation of Simon Munnery’s Alan Parker: Urban Warrior. For gall and invention, Bird was declared the night’s winner.

Iain Tessier immediately launched into a fast-paced stream of consciousness about the surroundings, the compere and the judges very much spontaneous and ‘in the moment’, although he struggled to find much in the way of actual jokes in it. This is a tough approach to take, and Tessier just wasn’t equal to the task – and his more prepared material was equally lacking too. Also he clearly lost himself in the moment too much, overrunning by a huge margin. They clearly don’t teach timekeeping at Kent Uni, where he and Horner are studying.

Finally came Noel Fielding tribute act Joey Page. Not that he was billed as that, but much of his act from his mannerisms to his hairstyle were cribbed from the Boosh star. ‘Just imagine if I had a massive eye instead of a face. That would be weird.’ Mind you he does it well, and the moments when he uses his own voice demonstrate he’s got a keen comic mind of his own. As he increasingly learns to be influenced by Fielding rather than simply emulating him Page, too, could be a comic find.

Steve Bennett
February 21, 2006