Steve Bennett (III)
- Actor
Press clippings Page 9
BBC Radio New Comedy Awards 2015 review
If performing live to 7.5million Radio 2 listeners in the final of the BBC Radio New Comedy Award was daunting for any of the acts, it didn't show.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 20th November 2015Dawn French: 30 Million Minutes in the West End
As has been a hallmark of French's entire career, it's her ebullient, unaffected and effortlessly likeable personality that wins through, even over the shakier moments. Though the performance initially feels over-rehearsed, both audience and comedian relax into each other's company, and by the end even those who wouldn't consider themselves Dawn French fans will be uplifted... and happy to have spent 120 of their precious minutes getting to know her a little better.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 13th November 2015Peep Show - series 9, episode 1 review
This opening episode is basically a reset button to put the characters back where they need to be, but it's written with the elegance that cements Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain's legacy. Their script nips between big set pieces with savvy dialogue that fizzes with gags and wry asides, while making viewers cringe at the appallingly self-serving antics of the anti-heroes that we now know so well.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 11th November 2015Josh review
For its failings, Josh (which has been directed in straightforward manner by David Schneider) is watchable, entertaining and amusing, but it rather washes over you. A solid effort, and another stepping stone on the careers of all those involved, but unlikely to go down as a classic, and faring poorly when watched back-to-back with the superlative Peep Show.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 11th November 2015Alfie Brown: -ism: review
Brown's a comic who's still changing year-by-year, making him hard to pigeonhole and market (perhaps explaining the poor attendance). But there's always something interesting going on, and he's getting ever-more skilled at sneaking difficult ideas into a more conversational, dare we say accessible, narrative.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 9th November 2015Review - Kieran Hodgson: Lance
Yet while story is all, Kieran Hodgson doesn't neglect jokes, and there are plenty of blind-siders here, while the whole story is given a droll air by a knowing subtext, which occasionally pops to the surface with asides about Hodgson's career decisions.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 4th November 2015Detectorists - Series 2 review
Although Detectorists can make you laugh, it's always in an understated way, almost as if '...' is a punchline.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 29th October 2015Detectorists: series 2 preview
Have they got a bit more budget for the second series of Detectorists? The opening episode starts with a historical battle... a big set piece that only serves to emphasise contrast between the drama of the past and the mundanity of the enthusiasts trying to connect with it, though the smallest of items.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 29th October 2015Review: Catastrophe series 2
All in all, it makes for a complex, delicious sweet-and-sour taste that will keep the critical garlands flooding in. And deservedly so, for this is proper grown-up comedy in which the consequences are not only hilarious - but credible, too.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 27th October 2015Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse: Legends - review
Yes, they depend on smut and stereotypes in some of their work, and are sometimes a bit reactionary, but that's part of the broad strokes with which they start. They're aware of the criticism, and there's more subtlety close up. Even lesser-known creations (by their standards) are a skilled blend of observation and silliness.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 26th October 2015