Simon Evans (I)

Over on Radio 4, Arthur Smith's Balham Bash seems more late-night 80s TV than 6.30pm radio. Aired first on 4Extra, this new series, though congenial, is too slack and studenty for Radio 4. The concept is that all the acts are in Arthur's house - at the top of the stairs, sitting in the lounge, in the kitchen - and the audience is squidged in there, too. But that small crew has to provide all the atmosphere, and as Arthur moves through the house, talking, they don't quite know how or when to respond. A thin "Yay!" is all an act can expect, and comedians - excellent ones, such as Simon Evans or Sean Lock - perform, for the most part, to embarrassed silence.

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