Comedian Garrett Millerick’s 2022 show, Just Trying to Help, is making its debut as a streamable comedy special on the prestigious 800 Pound Gorilla platform. Following a run at the Edinburgh Fringe and performances at the Soho Theatre, Millerick’s intensely funny take on modern life is more relevant now – three years after it debuted - than ever before.
A blisteringly funny and cathartic appeal for calm, from one of the least calm people in the country.
The world’s angriest optimist has returned to tackle the unintended consequences of good intentions in divisive and uncertain times. Just Trying to Help earned rave reviews during its original run, with audiences and critics alike praising Millerick’s no-holds-barred humour and razor-sharp insights. Now, the show’s themes resonate even more deeply in today’s world, offering a cathartic appeal for calm amidst the chaos.
A New Religion for a New Age
Coming from an Irish immigrant family and growing up in the 1980s, religion was a very important part of life. Garrett was baptised, confirmed, served as an altar boy and spent some time as a eucharistic minister. His mother had suspected that his commanding gift of oratory, evident from a young age, might lead him to the pulpit. But sometime around his late teens, realising that there was probably more to life than blindly following endless petty rules prescribed by hypocrites, he gave it all up and walked away into an adult life as a Godless heathen.
Now with all the division in the world, Garrett has found himself missing the warm fuzzy embrace of certainty offered by religion. The last few years have offered him a re-baptism of sorts, the comfort in following the rules, the joy of condemning those who didn’t, the inner peace of knowing your place and surrendering to a higher power.
But he needs a new team, a new religion for a new age. The world seems to be full of people with the answers, and their certainty is pretty alluring. And we don’t have to settle for boring old dogmas like Catholicism. The modern zealot is spoilt for choice, from Greta to Elon Musk, Q-Anon to Caitlin Moran... it’s time to fire up Twitter X, pick a prophet and engage in the new reformation.
A Comedic Nostradamus?
One of the standout moments in Just Trying to Help sees Millerick humorously predict the rise of Elon Musk as a near-prophetic (as least for some) figure – a satirical observation that has aged with uncanny accuracy. In a world increasingly shaped by larger-than-life personalities, Millerick’s comedy provides a sharp and hilarious critique of modern-day zealotry, be it in technology, politics, or social movements.
Reflecting on the show, Millerick remarked, “We live in deeply divided times, in the UK in the US and all over the world. Just Trying to Help is about navigating these complexities with humour. It’s an hour of sensible answers to stupid questions and firm opinions lightly held.”
A Trilogy Completed
This special marks the hilarious conclusion of Millerick’s Fatherhood Trilogy, following the critically acclaimed Sunflower (2018) and Smile (2019). From tackling the absurdities of adulthood to grappling with the responsibilities of raising a child in a chaotic world, Just Trying to Help combines heartfelt storytelling with punchy, laugh-out-loud moment after moment.
Just Trying to Help is available for pre-order now: https://800poundgorillamedia.com/products/garrett-millerick-just-trying-to-help and will be available to stream on 800 Pound Gorilla’s platform on 14th February, followed by general release and on their wider network from 28th February 2025.
Picture by Ed Moore
