Eyebrows

From Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow

More Jimeoin videos

Jimeoin was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, and grew up in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, but moved to Australia at the age of 22. He lives in Melbourne, but frequently returns to the UK. His first TV appearance down under was on the stand-up show The Big Gig in 1991, and he subsequently landed a regular role on the sketch show Full Frontal. In 1994, ghe starred in two series of his own, eponymous comedy series for the Seven network. Other Australian TV credits include Rove, Thank God You're Here, Spicks and Specks and Good News Week - while in the UK he appeared on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow in 2010 and Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford in 2011.

A combined travelogue and stand-up show he filmed across the north of Australia was shown on both BBC Northern Ireland in 2008 and Australia's Comedy Channel in 2010.

He has starred in and co-written two Australian film comedies, 1999's The Craic and 2005's The Extra, both co-starring his regular collaborator Bob Franklin

Jimeoin: Lovely!
Live Review
Manchester Comedy Store

Jimeoin serves up comic observations as if they were amuse-bouches; intricate, exquisite and flavoursome tidbits that don’t seem especially filling – until you find you’ve unwittingly wolfed down enough of them.

He serves them up with no fanfare, barely raising his voice above the level of a discreet conversation. But that seems to befit the small scale of his material, which microscopically analyses the minutiae of universal behaviour that no one else has previously thought to examine.

Topics as minor as deciding whether to wear a coat outside or the movement of his toes provide enough material for several minutes of trivial but amusing stand-up, inviting us to laugh at our own unnoticed foibles. Some of his ideas, such as how we seem to store memories spatially, seem so accurate and revelatory as to be almost like pioneering psychological research.

The subtlety of the writing extends to the performance. Even physical pieces, such as his impressions of various bird species, is done with minimal movement, just enough to get his point across.

His analytical approach leads him to examine how we react to his material, emitting a hearty laugh, then nothing, as we silently demand more to sate a voracious appetite for witticisms. Although that also says a lot about his performance style – he doesn’t create a wave of energy, but absorbs us in a warm blanket of comforting humour, occasionally tickling us with a punchline. The ‘lovely’ of the title is certainly an apt description.

You need to trust him over the occasional lulls in the material, however, but patience is almost always rewarded with a remarkably astute observation.

The touring show doesn’t benefit from having an interval, though, as it breaks the delicate spell. A support act might have been a better choice, followed by an hour of uninterrupted Jimeoin.

And even though Lovely! ends with a song, as is showbiz tradition, the comedy peters out rather than ties up neatly. That might befit that low-key approach, but is a little unsatisfying after some of the rich morsels served up earlier in the show.

All the humour and charisma of a sales assistant at Carpetright.

Gary, Glasgow, March 2012

Saw Jimeoin in Southend recently - didn't walk out of the theatre aching from laughter like I have from other stand-ups but that is not his style anyway. The comedy has a way of creeping up on you when you're not expecting it and for the two weeks after I was seeing things that he had referenced and just chuckling to myself (sometimes in the strangest places). A very, very clever comedian whose humour and take on everyday things will just keep popping back into your mind. My son now also references the "speed of cheese" whenever he can. Well worth seeing if you get the opportunity.

Johnny C, March 2012

Billy Connolly, but brought up in Ireland, trimmed of swear words and filled with MSG. McConnolly.

Mandy Allan, January 2010

Was for a long time one of my favourite commedians at The Fringe with some great observational humour... but after several years and various (Australian) DVDs of rehashing the same routine over and over and over again I just lost faith that I'd ever see a whole 'new show' that was actually 'all new' and didn't have me thinking about the puchlines before they came, Comedy genius if you are new to him... but in desperate need of fresh material for long term fans.

Dave R, July 2009

2006 Edinburgh completely different set from 05. Sell out audience in George Square Theatre loved him. A mystery why he is not better known here

Bill Glasgow, August 2006