Colin Hoult as Len Parker

On Russell Howard's Good News

More Colin Hoult videos

Nominated for best sketch or character act at the 2010 Chortle awards, Colin Hoult's TV credits include being a regular in Russell Howard’s Good News for BBC Three and Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder for ITV1.

He has appeared in Laura, Ben and Him (ITV2), on Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV1) and The Charlotte Church Show (Channel 4); while radio credits include Nick Mohammed In Bits, Rudy’s Rare Records, Buy Me Up TV and Recorded for Training Purposes.

Colin is one half of the double act Colin and Fergus, who have written and performed in two series of Colin and Fergus' Digi-Radio for BBC7 and a BBC Radio 2 special, Theatre Group with Peter and Sarah. They were regulars in the second series of Comedy Shuffle for BBC Three and staged three shows at the Edinburgh festival. They are also the winners of the Writer's Guild Award

Colin Hoult: Inferno
Live Review

Still as dark as ever, Colin Hoult has this year moved from focussing on more macabre characters to ‘heroes’, mostly human ones but all inevitably flawed and retaining his signature strangeness.

We walk in meeting Eddie Cartesian and learn of his exclusive love of just one song, meet Thwor and his mighty hammer, understand Glin Caution is frustrated with his ‘pervert’ neighbour Preston Pearce, get introduced to Little J Parker from Nottingham's Crime Fighting Union and several more strange folk. There is a peculiar symmetry as the show almost rewinds through the characters towards a confounding sing-and-dance-along with the audience.

Hoult's work is funny and entertaining, yet manages to be more theatre than comedy at times. If you are looking for conventional humour, then you need to know punchlines don't live in the world Hoult inhabits. There are moments sprinkled throughout the show where you wonder where the humour is going to coming from, only to find an empty void of despair There are also perplexing prop choices including a huge tree taking up a large amount of centre stage, which seems to serve the minimal purpose of a microphone stand, yet maintains a constant visual dominance.

Hoult employs a noticeable motif of muted music coming from another building, reinforcing the idea of his characters living off-stage from the rest of the world. Music plays a key role in many scenes; within the space of a couple of minutes we have gone from chilled-out electro music, to a whispered repetitive chant and to a club anthem without the transitions feeling out of place. The most memorable moments include an adorable dog playing fetch the banana with the several audience members and a visit for buttered tea with a senile old man ‘Billy’ - including a scene-stealing performance by Dan Snelgrove as he battles against the restrictions of Pleasance Two.

Hoult has an impressive range of discrete characters and performs them all extremely well, perfectly complimented by Snelgrove and Zoe Gardner, making Inferno a well crafted and delightfully delivered hybrid of comedy, theatre and darkness.

Your "len parker" act is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life!

Charlotte, February 2012