nick helm
It's not surprising that there is a strong whiff of deja vu watching Uncle, the first episode of the new sitcom starring Nick Helm written by newcomer Oliver Refson. A one-off pilot went out on C4 in 2012 and the first episode of this BBC3 series is basically the same scene-setting plot, tarted up and with Helm sporting a slightly tidier haircut.
I was tickled to read comedian Davey Johns' comments on Facebook recently about the phenomenon of homing in on the audience member who isn't laughing. Johns nailed the situation perfectly: "There's a couple just stoney faced. Nothing from them at all. All around laughter but they are oblivious to it and in your head you're just thinking 'what the fuck is wrong with them?' Everyone is having a great laugh, but your head is just focused on why the fuck aren't they laughing."
Comedy residencies used to be three or four nights, maybe a week if you were a big attraction. This week, however, two major comedy shows kick off in London and will still be on for quite a bit longer when the Christmas decorations are taken down in January.
Update 3/1/14. As we say below, 2014 looks like being a good year for Nick Helm. His BBC3 series Uncle starts later this month and he has just been nominated for The Times South Bank Breakthrough Award? You can vote for him here.
The Pleasance
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There are comedians who shoot out gags like machine gun fire and then there is James Acaster. The slow burn Kettering stand-up bagged a Foster's Comedy Award nomination for his show Prompt last year and he has returned, guns discreetly blazing, with a new mini-masterpiece, which refines his idiosyncratic technique and quirky stage persona.
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