The Middletons

From Live At The Apollo

More Andrew Maxwell videos

Dublin-born stand-up who was named comics' comic in the 2005 Chortle awards (where he was also nominated for best headliner). In 2007 he was nominated for the if.comedy award for the best show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Andrew Maxwell: The Lights Are On
Live Review

We live in turbulent times, although most people at the Fringe are comfortable enough to avoid the worst of it. Perhaps that’s why comedy is more often than not ‘me, me, me’ – with stand-ups picking apart their own lives. Either that or blame social media, which makes everyone with a Twitter account think they are at the centre of the world.

So it’s welcome to see a comedian look outward towards current events and crack not only jokes, but damn fine jokes, about them. That you know Andrew Maxwell can only have written his material about riots only within the past few days gives this impressive opening section an urgency and relevance that’s comparatively rare.

Such immediacy sometimes means topical comedy is given more latitude: never mind how funny it is, look how much of the moment it is. But the mercurial Maxwell’s take on the disturbances is a fully-formed routine, with both proper jokes and clear opinion, hewn from knowing his own hypocrisy. ‘I would love to attack The Ritz,’ he says, stressing the word ‘love’, then, after timing a perfect pause. ‘Or stay in The Ritz.’

It’s these 15 or 20 material on the riots that gets Maxwell written about, but his whole set is freshly minted. The Queen’s visit to Ireland, the Arab spring, the News of the World’s phone hacking, the killing of Bin Laden, the Irish beating England at cricket – the bulk of his set comes from the past few months.

Even more well-ploughed furrowed such as paedophile priests and the greedy bankers are given fresh twists. He doesn’t necessarily go particularly deep into any topics, we’re here for laughs not lectures, but he can see new angles for jokes on Lockerbie bomber Al Megrahi or Israel’s national psyche. He plays up being just a cheeky Irish tinker – even to the extent of having a model wooden caravan on the stage in which to conceal his drink – but he’s a savvy old thinker behind that mischievous bonhomie.

Meanwhile, that everyman persona means he doesn’t have to shy away from a good dick joke if he can shoe-horn some in… and, wouldn’t you know it, he can. This is how good stand-up should be: immediate, opinionated, nimble and naughty.

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Always good but last couple of years has become brilliant, Maxwell is the Frank Lampard of the comedy circuit (with a famous comedy dad to boot)... but will he bag the Premiership? He's up there with yer Man Utds and yer Arsenals, yer Thierry Henrys, yer Van Nistelrooys... in fact he is up there with any 'yer + an unnnecessary plurals.

Omid Djalili, January 2005

Mr Maxwell is definitely on his way to becoming a comedy legend.

David, November 2004

Absolutely brillo pads, fandabidosi -seen him many times and he never fails to leave me weeping with laughter. Ridonkulously good comedian.

Mrs Brightside, November 2004

Andrew Maxwell was without doubt the finest and funniest act I saw at the Fringe in 2001 and blew me away.Since then iIve rated him with the best, speaking as a comedy anorak.

Roger Sims, November 2004

A comic genius. A man with all the answers to what ever heckle is thrown.

Emma Collins, November 2004

I saw Andrew on Kings Of Comedy and he rightfully won. He's certainly among the comedy greats such as Lee Evans, Jack Dee and Al Murray.

Martin Knox, October 2004

Hilarious and very talented. I'm delighted that he's the first king of comedy. He truly deserves it.

Kamal, October 2004

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