Steve Bennett (I)
- Journalist and reviewer
Press clippings Page 28
Hullraisers review
As one female-led comedy with a distinctive geographical flavour launches its final series, another starts its first. Airing straight after the season three premiere of Derry Girls, Hullraisers follows three working-class women at various stages of their adult journey.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 12th April 2022Deep Heat review
The show's template is as established as it comes: bunch of misfits come together to achieve success despite all the odds, and who knows, maybe learn a little about themselves on the way. It's the sort of Hollywood cliché premise Max & Ivan might parody in their excellent live shows, but here fully embrace.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 28th March 2022Newark, Newark preview
There's one big problem with this delightful portrait of a relationship between an oddball son and his recently divorced mum: three episodes just isn't enough.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 28th March 2022The Island review
I watched Dave's new comedy format The Island, not knowing it had been devised by stand-ups James Acaster, Ed Gamble, Lloyd Langford and John Robins when they got stranded in New York by a storm. That fact came as something as a surprise, given the show feels less than an idea created organically by some fine comic minds, and more like the brainchild of a UKTV exec trying to engineer something to fill a Taskmaster-shaped hole left after their biggest show got poached by Channel 4.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 23rd March 2022Sideshow review
This is what Inside No. 9 could have been, had it not for the genius of Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith: a plodding, cliche-ridden adventure short of both surprises and laughs.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 13th March 2022Hannah Gadsby: Body Of Work review
This, Hannah Gadsby insists, is a 'feelgood show'.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 10th March 2022Catherine Bohart: This Isn't For You review
As she charts her breakup, the comic engages in some effortless to-and-fro with the audience, asking after their experiences of relationships. It offers a measured portion of spontaneity to the hour, but more crucially cements the tone of amiable intimacy that conceals her more barbed points.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 9th March 2022The Witchfinder review
Expectations are high when you have a cast of comedy nobility, led by Tim Key and Daisy May Cooper, and a script from the writers of Alan Partridge. Yet The WitchfinderDaniel Rigby can't quite deliver on that promise, if not for a want of ambition.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 8th March 2022Count Arthur Strong: And This Is Me! review
Count Arthur Strong is leaving behind his 'meticulously researched' lectures of old. No more talks on astronomy or Ancient Egypt, instead the befuddled old duffer is talking about 'me and the man behind myself - who is also me'.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 8th March 2022#CancelKarenDunbar review
Tellingly, the documentary puts 50-year-old Dunbar in front of a much younger audience, trying out a new routine (with the aid of writer Steven Dick) with all she's been exploring about 'punching up' who owns the right to joke about certain topics. And you know what she makes them laugh - mostly - without losing her grit to some imagined liberal soppiness. It's almost as if you can actually do comedy in today's climate without falling foul of liberal witchfinders - and without going into extremes of crass offensiveness. That course might be more difficult that before, but the message is that it's possible. And comedy's probably better for it.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 28th February 2022