Jason Byrne

Jason Byrne interview

Our favourite comedy stars return for another year of laughter, tears and lots and lots of beer.

Latitude review: Jason Byrne

Once more Byrne went where few comedians dare to go.

Latitude festival comedy review: Jason Byrne

So, it's true that Jason Byrne is a live comedian - and we should all keep supporting live comedy, famously. More so, his bounding on-stage persona would perhaps fit better even in a smaller tent than in the Comedy Arena: Byrne more than commands the space, but if seeing his live is so much better, seeing him perform to a tightly packed intimate audience might be the ultimate win.

Radio Times review

The audience gets strangely excited by the opening act, which John Bishop tells us has been booked to redress the balance. Instead of the usual scantily clad female dancers, it's a troupe of scantily clad male dancers. As the lights are turned out by the time they're down to their underpants, the whoops and shrieks seem a little excessive.

Also on the bill are comedian Andy "I have absolutely no charisma" Askins, who turns Dido's Thank You into a dark musing on a wretched marriage, and stand-up Jason Byrne. He picks two useless volunteers to help with his rubbish magic act and turns it into a manic piece of slapstick.

Jason Byrne live, review: 'spiky and surreal'

Byrne prefers to engage - or rather, entrap - his audience in a freewheeling conversation that is part premeditated, part improvised and completely unhinged.

Life's a running joke for Jason Byrne

Jason Byrne is surprised by people's surprise that he ran the New York City marathon last November. He did it to raise money for Temple Street Children's Hospital.

One of the more likable of the arena comedians, John Bishop is all about being down to earth. Still, he isn't afraid of a big production number when the occasion demands it, and with this festive show, that's precisely what he delivers. Never mind the obligatory pop stars (George Ezra; Ella Henderson). Forget about the mainstream support acts (Jack Whitehall and Jason Byrne). Bishop doesn't just do a set, he also performs a routine with 16 members of the dance troupe the Tiller Girls.

Review: Jason Byrne You Name the Show

With such a receptive audience, it's not long before he has them engaged in a mass debate of sorts about local social hierarchy, while he tries to pronounce Holmfirth correctly.

Jason Byrne: You Name The Show review

There was a clear definition between material and crowd-work but it ended up that the majority of the show was unique to us, which was by no means a bad thing.