Spitting Image, refugee comedians, Adam Riches - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary

Written by: Mark Muldoon
Published: Monday 19th June 2023

You have to assume the producers of Spitting Image (the TV show) had higher hopes for the resurrected format than having it be cancelled after just two series. With each individual puppet costing £10,000 to make - and this stage show featuring over 100 - it was hardly surprising to hear that they were looking for other opportunities to extend their useful life a little bit...

Over two hours, it's fair to say Spitting Image: Idiots Assemble doesn't scrimp on spectacle, either. It's a big, ambitious West End production. It's pretty inarguable that the stars of the show are the 15 puppeteers, working in impressive harmony throughout. The only problem with the whole thing is the jokes. It's pleasing that the show is agile enough to include bang-up-to-date references to Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP, and Nicola Sturgeon's arrest. More broadly though, there does seem to be a quantity not quality approach to the humour, although - to be clear - we're certainly not talking about a disastrous hit rate. Plenty of lines do land well - the interpretation of Suella Braverman is a particular highlight. But, all in all, it means it's a solid show, rather than an essential one. It's not entirely faint praise to say that your dad would probably like it, if you're trying to think of a present for him.

One of stand-up comedy's great strengths is its potential for audience participation. Relatively few comedians aim to take full advantage of its ability to add a sense of unpredictability - chaos, even - to performances. Within this admittedly non-crowded field, Adam Riches has previously proven himself to be the best person at capitalising on that potential.

For this show - an interactive whodunnit murder mystery - one audience member has been randomly assigned as responsible for the semi-accidental massacre of ten turtles at the Beakington Town Hall Christmas Charity Fundraiser. Each night, Riches - largely in character as an alpha-male investigator - attempts to narrow down the crowd and eventually find the culprit.

Both the scripted sections and looser audience interaction set pieces are great fun. You wouldn't say said set pieces are ingeniously designed, they just serve as coathangers for displaying Riches' very well-developed skillset for sparking funny audience interactions. Intriguingly, on our night, the audience responded by often being funny too. Stand-up comedy audiences are very rarely funny, but it added to the enjoyable sense of unpredictability.

Each performance is likely to go quite differently - ours certainly didn't seem to go according to plan, which suits Riches: he surfs the waves of unpredictability well throughout a show that's a joy to be a part of.

Finally, another of London's progressively-minded showcase shows. Having recently struggled to recommend one of them, it's a delight to report that another - No Direction Home - is really nailing their regular nights platforming refugee and migrant comedians.

It's a good format. You get a skilled host (in this instance, Thanyia Moore), three short sets from refugees/migrants who haven't been performing stand-up for very long (it's suggested one of tonight's acts is performing to an audience for the very first time), before, finally, a longer set from a headliner that can really shift some tickets, (and who is presumably showing up because they support the cause, rather than because they've been promised a big paycheque). Tonight, that's Bridget Christie, elsewhere on this run of shows they've booked Nish Kumar and Sindhu Vee.

Right at the start some major expectation management takes place. "We've collected some new comedians from refugee and migrant backgrounds and they come on stage today to present their comedy. Some of them are really new, some started in lockdown, some of them have been going for a year and a half. So what we're going to do is support them all as if they're fantastic, deal?"

The audience cajoling isn't necessary: the comedians - who are able to access workshops and "expert tuition" - are all objectively better than your average newcomers, even before factoring in their compelling stories and fresh perspectives. In response, the audience cheer like they're watching their team win the FA Cup final. A very worthwhile cause, then, but also a great night out in its own right.

Read previous editions of this column

Mark Muldoon is also available on Instagram and Twitter (where he can be spotted having panic-tweeted his dad asking if he wanted Spitting Image tickets for Father's Day).