The Three Englishmen: Optimists (Edinburgh Preview) 18th July 2011

Who are they? The Three Englishmen are Ben Cottam, Nick Hall, Jack Hartnell and Tom Hensby
Where did you see it? Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice

I have to admit I have actually seen The Three Englishmen before, I know get those jaws off the floor as it becomes apparent I do go to comedy, honest. I first saw them at the much missed SketchUp night in Shoreditch's Bar Kick. I say much missed because I went to two before they closed it down and never restarted again (I have a similar effect with jobs, work somewhere, it shuts within the year). I say I saw them; I saw two of them. My attempts at seeing The Three Englishmen as a foursome were failures for a while until last summer when I saw their well received debut Edinburgh show.

I'm not going to mince my words here; I'd be amazed if Optimists is as well received as last year's show. It feels very samey, like a difficult second album. Sketches that were successful first time round seem to be changed slightly for this show, but not as funny and they committed the crime that all the sketch acts I've been seeing do; no punchline for sketches that have good ideas or sketches that make no sense. So many sketches start off strongly, like a sketch involving a father telling his son about his university days, then just end with perplexed, nervous laughter and polite clapping from an audience that doesn't get what went so wrong.

The Three Englishmen L-R Jack Hartnell, Nick Hall,
Tom Hensby and Ben Cottam

I will admit that I had seen some of their finest sketches before at new material nights and that perhaps spoiled my enjoyment; I assume most of their Edinburgh audience won't be weird fan girls like me so will approach it with fresh eyes. That isn't to say there aren't good sketches but that momentum of a strong sketch, such as the elderly donkey keeping man whose past time infuriates his neighbours, blind chemist or Lady Gaga at school, is then ruined by a weak filler or sketches don't know when to JUST END.

To be honest much of the Three Englishmen's sketches are saved by the performances, with Cottam standing out this year. Hensby and Hall seem quickest on their feet,  perhaps more aware of their weaker sketches or general preview teething problems so keen to improvise where they can. Which looks like I'm being incredibly cruel to Hartnell; I don't mean to be as he's the backbone of the musical numbers that are spread through the show (They were Musical Comedy Awards 2011 runner up) and whilst I have voiced my displeasure when it comes to musical comedy I can't fault their harmonies and most of their comedy intentions; some fail to hit the mark (why are so many sketch acts doing 'mash ups' of popular songs in a comedy fashion now?) but others like their Jack the Ripper song would only work in a musical fashion.

I'm desperately hoping the show just needs a bit of tweaking, that all will be well when they come back in September but producing similar sketches from previous years won't win them favours with the critics. It hasn't with this one anyway.

Delete the Banjax: Pigs and Ponies (Edinburgh Preview) 11th July 2011

Who are they? Delete the Banjax are Samuel Champion, Daniel Cook, Gareth Cooper and Caroline May-Jones

Where did you see it? Pleasance, Islington

I am not the most hardcore of comedy attendees. I'm aware this blog sometimes looks like the ramblings of groupy but I've heard about more comedy than I've actually seen. Delete the Banjax were one of those names that I heard but never seen perform. I hadn't really read much about them either. Despite being 'a reviewer' now (Ha!) I don't read reviews unless I've already seen them. I went in open minded and with a cheap ticket.

Actually I lie; the ticket was cheap but my mind went in thinking I'd spend an hour stoney faced and the guitar that appeared in the corner of my eye didn't help my assumption. I'm not a big fan of musical comedy; I associate it with Tim Minchin, who I detest and my inner monologue just screams "FFS just be a popstar if you want to sing at me" I love music, I love comedy but I'm not really happy about them joining forces even if I see something that works. It feels a little student revue.

DtB rely on video a lot, not a bad thing and it is nice filler as opposed to what usually occurs; an awkward monologue whilst the others get changed. I particularly enjoyed 'Daniel Cook; an actor' showreel, which was only spoilt by the pub quiz sketch surrounding it. Unfortunately I didn't really rate Cook as a performer, otherwise and definitely felt like the weakest link; I'm not sure if it was his speaking style but his role just seemed annoying rather than 'LOL' funny. Intentional? I don't know but if so they need to distinguish between annoying but funny and just annoying.

L-R Daniel Cook, Samuel Champion, Caroline May-Jones and Gareth Cook

The others were much stronger. As the lone female I feared May-Jones role was just going to be hysterical female characters but she was a much more rounded performer, the 'Time after Time' and 'baby' sketch could have easily become the hysterical, screechy character that many female sketch acts resort to when they don't have anything funny but all had nice twists and she seemed to get the tone right, and had a lovely singing voice.

Cooper's shining moment was also the baby sketch. He gets the new mother character just right. He also made a very good George Osbourne in the VAT biscuits sketch. I feel he's ended up as the straight man to Cook's funny man and I'm not sure that should be the case. Champion reminded me of Adam Buxton in his sailor hat mode from Adam and Joe. He's meant to be dense and treated terribly by the rest of the Banjax but I much prefered him in his 'non-stupid' roles such as the over enthusiastic American in the 'English Comprehensive/Glee' song.

It is hard to focus on Delete the Banjax as individuals, it is a group that works because of the chemistry. There isn't building resentment or one that clearly hates another one (I have witnessed this at a show from another sketch group before) but ultimately Pigs and Ponies is rather forgettable, I rely on keywords and memories to write my reviews and my scribbled down notes on a tube aren't bringing any memories back. So many of the sketches are recurring so one I've remembered actually appears three times (the new names for things and Time after Time sketch, for example), which means they seem limited but I suspect they do what many have done; have a good idea AND STAY WITH IT FOREVER instead of experimenting and adding a fast paced multi-sketch element.

Their biggest achievement is making comedy songs that don't want to make me tear my ears off. Well done, Delete the Banjax.

Lady Garden 2011 (Edinburgh Preview) 8th July 2011

Who are they? Lady Garden are Hannah Dodd, Beattie Edmondson , Rose Johnson, Eleanor Thom and Camille Ucan.
Where did you see it? The Pleasance, Islington


I have to admit I wasn't as keen to see the preview Lady Garden's fourth Edinburgh show as I had been to see Beta Males. It seems Lady Garden are an acquired taste with opinions ranging from "Brilliant, they're the ones to watch" from media types (I believe they have a pilot or a full series coming soon) to "they're awful and 
there are too many of them" now they've dealt with that last point; there's now five instead of six of them.

Back row L-R; Beattie Edmondson, Rose Johnson, Hannah Dodd
Front row; Eleanor Thom, Camile Ucan

The most interesting opinion of Lady Garden I heard was that "they produce a lot of shit but when they hit the mark it's genius" at the time I thought that was ridiculous; how can you forgive a lot of shit for the rare brilliant sketch?


Upon seeing them I could see the point entirely. A lot of their sketches make no sense or just don't work. 'Handsome and Entertaining', for example (they have the name or setting of each sketch on paper, thanks ladies) just confused the audience. Was it Justin Bieber or a Michael Jackson impersonator being played by Edmondson (yes, she related to that Edmondson and that half of French and Saunders) and did Ucan really need to be on the stage as well. It was a low point that I would usually excuse as a filler sketch whilst the others got changed but they had other filler sketches that were so much better.


When they hit the mark, such as their Lady in Red slow dance sketch or the horse dating agency, it was fantastic and as performers they are probably one of the best, most solid sketch groups. Any weakness one performer seemed to have was made up by other skills. Johnson's performances where she spoke failed to hit the mark sometimes but she does have one of the best 'shocked' faces I have seen; she should definitely do a mime show at some point. Dodd and Ucan's (whose face reminded me of Kourtney Kardashian and distracted me) strengths also seemed to rely on their faces.. This isn't the criticism it appears to be; so much comedy relies on silly facial expressions and it is a useful skill.


Thom, if I'm forced to pick a favourite, is my choice. She didn't seem to be in much of the sketch show, as it appeared dominated by the other four but when she appeared you were guarantee a proper laugh out loud sketch. Edmondson seems like she makes a better straight (wo)man than an outright comedy performer, not that she was rubbish, far from it, but she was outshone by her co-stars in the sketches and perhaps my expectations of her were too high considering her pedigree. 


Too many of the sketches only produced a smile and if this was a new sketch group I'd be more forgiving but after three Edinburgh shows (and a regular comedy night at the Wilmington Arms)  the ladies of Lady Garden should really be better at weeding out (apparently my last review didn't contain enough puns) the weaker sketches.  

The Beta Males- The Train Job (Edinburgh Preview) 5th July 2011

FINALLY I present to you a review. I took my time, sorry.
Who are they? The Beta Males are; John Henry Falle, Jon Gracey, Guy Kelly and Richard Soames
Where did you see it? The Miller, in London Bridge


The Beta Males (Formerly The Beta Males Picnic) will be returning to Edinburgh in 2011 with The Train Job after the success of their 2010 show The Bunker. I didn't see The Bunker, unfortunately so I cannot compare this show to that but The Train Job felt equally as claustrophobic as a bunker as the show is set, as the title would suggest, on a train going from London (I think...) to Edinburgh.

L-R Guy Kelly, Richard Soames, John-Henry Falle and Jon Gracey

I was keen to see this show as I had heard and seen good things from the Beta Males, with their matching ties and waistcoat (a snazzy purple and grey combination at the Miller, fashion fans) their style reminds me very much of what it would have been like to see The League of Gentlemen's early shows. TLoG wore black tie in their live shows and continued it for the first half of their national tour. The train is, I suppose, their Royston Vasey (or Spent, "it was better on the radio" fans) with the sketches taking place during this journey across the train carriages.

I don't want to spoil it too much so I will keep it basic. We (the audience) are passengers on the Olympus with its brash American CEO reassuring this that the train cannot possibly sink, we then join an array of characters including the tea boy (or is it tea lady?), the safety inspector, trainspotters, a gorilla and Stephen Byers MP, amongst others.

This is a preview and that was obvious; lines were forgotten and giggles were had but personally I quite like this in a show because you can pick up any tensions between the performers and it is obvious they take any mistakes in their stride and any teasing from their fellow Beta Male with the jest that is intended. My only concern is that it might not stand out against other sketch shows that don't have such a rigid connection that the Beta Males have with the train. The train and live setting means that it is hard to adjust when a sketch takes part outside of the train, which happens rarely in this show.

I hate reviews that concentrate on particular performers so I won't do that. All four put in strong, memorable performances during the hour whether that be Falle's Brief Encounter-esque female character or his gorilla, Gracey's Stephen Byers, Kelly's orgasmic safety inspector and Soames' tea boy (or is it lady?)

If in Edinburgh or in London before and after Edinburgh do catch this show; it is a lot of fun.