If Romesh Ranganathan has monopolised the market for curmudgeonly comedy then Russell Howard has co-opted the mirror image.
The boyish Bristolian totally owns the idea that we should be nicer. In Respite he takes stock of the current chaos and concludes that we need more fun. The political landscape, he quips, is “about as stable as an R Kelly interview”. He playfully pinpoints the inherent sexism in nursery rhymes and skewers the joy-thieves who take pleasure complaining about everything.
The tone oscillates between the serious and the silly. One moment he is talking about fighting knife crime, the next he is recalling sticking his finger up his bum to scare off a lion during his safari honeymoon.
But in terms of making the world a happier place there is no denying that he is fulfilling his remit. Howard says laughter brings people together. It certainly did last night.
Tonight, then Eventim Apollo, W6, Sept 20, 21, 23, 2020 (0844 844 0444, ticketmaster.co.uk)
