Jason Manford – Live at Manchester Apollo (15)

Dec 4 2009 Liverpool Daily Post

THIS is a hometown show for Manford on a sell-out tour which is a reflection of his rise in the public consciousness, helped in no small part to team captaincy slots on TV faves like 8 out of 10 Cats.

And filming on his own turf proves an inspired choice as the crowd lap up his relaxed brand of observational Northern comedy. Manford’s chief asset is his sheer likeability – you can feel the crowd willing him to entertain them and he doesn’t disappoint. In terms of the material, I found it a little familiar and a little safe – there are certainly no comedy boundaries being broken down here. There are gags about male toilet etiquette (you know, the which urinal to pick scenario), the lies dads tell and that bloke who lives in the M62 which are all territories which have been mined many times before. In fact, Manford is at his best when he interacts with the crowd and ad-libs, and this is something which he should expand in future shows. The extras include a chat with his brother, who clearly thinks he is the family comedian who should have hit the big time. He’s wrong.

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CHARLEY BOORMAN – SYDNEY TO TOKYO BY ANY MEANS (15)

AFTER travelling from Ireland to Sydney in the first series, actor turned motorbike nutter Boorman heads off on another escapade, this time heading to Tokyo. This series sees Spitfires, scrambler bikes and hovercraft all used in his “by any means” ethos. It’s undoubtedly a really enjoyable travelogue, with as usual the people Charley meets along the way the real stars, not least the beautiful welcome shown by the people of Papua New Guinea. The show’s strength is also its weakness in that, just as he arrives, he’s racing off somewhere else, failing to really get under the skin of a place in the way, say, a master like Michael Palin can.

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George Carlin – It’s Bad For Ya (18)

ONE of America’s most hard-hitting comedians, this was Carlin’s final HBO special before his death last year. Carlin was loved for his refusal to compromise and his ability to target the things he felt needed to be brought down. Politicians, big business, sporting heroes, the American dream, death itself, they all had big targets on their backs for Carlin. As he himself says here: “I’ve got a very low tolerance level for bullsh*t.” Within seconds, he’s got stuck into Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods, all-American stars both. “I’m sick of being told who my heroes should be,” he tells us – and quite right, too. He’s not afraid of attacking anybody, even children, producing a coherent explanation for why every child can’t be “special”. There’s a liberal use of the“F” word throughout and, to be honest, it sometimes grates a little. Worse, this show just isn’t funny enough. Georgie seems more interested in settling scores than making us laugh. I applaud Carlin for his politics, his spirit, his sheer refusal to compromise, but he’s produced better work than this.

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