Tom Stade

Frankie Boyle's co-writer defends Harvey joke

Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights co-writer, Tom Stade, chats about rude words, what's funny and that joke about Katie Price's son, Harvey.

Ben Elton kicks off a series in which comedians perform a gig in their home town - Catford, south London, in Elton's case. It's a Live at the Apollo set-up prefaced by a cursory visit to Elton's childhood house (a standard Edwardian semi) and primary school. Also on the bill are two non-Catfordians: Irishman Jason Byrne and Canadian Tom Stade, who attributes his drawl to a misspent youth. Byrne re-enacts his juvenile misadventures, while the more risqué Stade proposes Afghanistan as a dream holiday destination. Performing stand-up for the first time in five years, the star attraction isn't quite as sure-footed. Rebranding experts, creationists and the Tories are all on his hit list, but Elton is best on ageing gracelessly, which seems rather apt.

Among the hosts who'll be revisiting their home towns in this new series are Johnny Vegas and Russell Kane, but for tonight's opener it's Ben Elton, performing his first live stand up in a decade. The so-called "Godfather Of Alternative" has become comedy's embarrassing Dad in recent years, what with We Will Rock You and all, but his routines on rebranding and body piercing in particular show that he's still driven by the same moral sense and sarcastic despair at modern life as ever. Jason Byrne and Canadian Tom Stade guest.

Michael McIntyre continues his stand-up roadshow with a stop at the Birmingham Hippodrome. There's the usual fast-paced introduction from McIntyre, followed by sets from a wry Canadian called Tom Stade, a wild-haired Australian called Steve Hughes and an energetic Yorkshireman called Paul Tonkinson. The evening ends with a set by Shappi Khorsandi, a female Iranian stand-up who, she confesses, would rather have been a horse.

The quality of the comedians appearing on this show is astounding. Obviously one or two were bound to be good, but to come up with a royal flush week after week seems to defy the laws of probability. After McIntyre's usual full-throttle intro, Tom Stade - an American living in Wolverhampton - tells a single story about a man selling meat from the back of a van. Paul Tonkinson points out some of the difficulties involved in making yourself a quick sandwich when you're in a relationship. Steve Hughes, a hairy man from Australia, launches an attack on health and safety and political correctness, and this glorious evening ends with the headline act from Shappi Khorsandi, who is that rare thing - a female stand-up comic from Iran.