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The son of comedy scriptwriter Ray Cameron - who co-wrote Kenny Everett's TV shows with Barry Cryer, Michael McIntyre's first stand-up success came at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival, where he was nominated for the Perrier best newcomer award. He returned to the festival in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

In 2006, he made his debut at the Kilkenny comedy festival, returning the following year when he also added Montreal's Just For Laughs festival to his CV. In 2007 he was nominated for the Chortle Award for best headliner – a title he won in 2008.

He is a regular face on panel shows and on stand-up shows on both TV and radio, including the Comedy Store and The World Stands Up on Paramount and 4 Stands Up on Radio 4 in 2007/8, which he hosted.

Original Review:

His show reveals absolutely nothing about him, or the world. There’s no surrealism, few one-liners and little cynicism - and the politics goes no further than a few silly comments about Gordon Brown’s glass eye. He’s not got the natural charismatic pizzazz of a Russell Brand, nor the searing intellect of a Stewart Lee.

Why, then, is he so funny?

The answer is pure craftsmanship. He has painstakingly fashioned the slickest, most universally accessible routines around, with such meticulous attention to detail that ensures the laughs come with near-perfect efficiency.

The obvious thing to say is that he’s a British Seinfeld – even though he wouldn’t be the first stand-up to invite that comparison. His material, like the American sitcom, could easily be said to be ‘about nothing’, built as it is upon the inconsequential observations of common behaviour, from finding free newspapers on public transport, to overtaking on a country road. Even the act of walking forms his encore, as demanded by the vociferous front row, that’s how common and uncontentious his material is. No one will be lost here.

Yet in practice, this broad subject matter is nowhere near as bland as it would be in the hands of a lesser comic. And most observational stand-ups are lesser than this consummate pro, by a long chalk. To understate the case, McIntyre has a nice way of putting things, perfectly encapsulating the everyday, inconsequential situations he’s describing. With such skilful use of words, this comedy artisan reveals to the audience things everyone has noticed, but nobody had noticed that they’d noticed.

The breath of his material is impressive; there’s nothing that happens in the theatre, from a nose-blowing to a latecomer revealing they’d come from Ireland, that can’t be used a segueway into some highly polished routine, which gives the near two-hour show a satisfying fluidity. In the second half, especially, he becomes a little more relaxed, riffing about the venue and embarking on embarrassing anecdotes that he professes not to have planned on sharing.

Not that they show him in a particularly bad light, however – this isn’t the show for that. Despite being half-Canadian and half-Hungarian, his public-school upbringing has instilled in him the British middle-class way of being able to talk amiably at great length, without once giving away any glimpse of what he might really be feeling.

There’s a slight twinge of sarcasm at the heart of some of his gags, but they are so deeply buried under his upbeat exterior that the mood is always jolly. And, anyway, his finest routines, which surely deserve classic status, have no need for attitude, as he hilariously describes the way we give out mobile phone numbers, or ask the time, or queries why some words become permanently coupled together like ‘nooks and crannies’.

It’s all delivered with the confidence, charm and quartz timing that well serves this perfectly honed material. He employs a demonstrative physicality, too, when the need arises, gallivanting around the stage with his own silly walks to inject some dynamism into an already sparkling show.

This one-off night at London’s Lyric Theatre to bring his national tour to a close was McIntryre’s first solo West End show. He was looking forward to seeing his name in lights, so was rather deflated to see it was just a few A4 sheets Blu-Tacked to the box office door.

But with an exquisitely crafted show, with such universal appeal, they should probably start ordering the lightbulbs now. The joy is that behind the carefully – some may say cynically – packaged allure is plenty of genuinely uproarious comedy gold. Michael McIntyre is in serious danger of giving ‘mainstream’ a good name.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
London, December 2007

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My mum had an asthma attack because she was laughing so hard at his jokes. 'Nuff said. :)

Clemi, November 2012

Michael McIntyre is a huge inspiration to me and definitely the funniest man i have ever heard! He has generally very good jokes and not needing innappropiate comments like some of the comics lately... his jokes are very good and of course, has a huge talent on making people laugh, in a tasteful way as well. Thank you...everyone loves you :)

Maddy, July 2011

Forget all of the negative comments Michael, I think you're great. People that don't think you are funny must be of very low intellect!

Michael, June 2011

Love him! Soooo funny and a real insperation!

Honey, June 2011

"Forget your inverse snobbery, this guy can make you laugh like no other." What's snobbery got to do with it? He just isn't very funny - end of chat.

Simon Moore, April 2011

The comedian of the decade. It's easy to sit on your sofa on a Saturday night, eating some form of microwave meal, and slag him off...but those who do are either jealous of his talents or seem to feel that their opinions matter to the rest of the world. He's a huge talent, and has a natural gift for making millions of people laugh.

Jack, January 2011

It appears that Michael McIntyre is channeling the spirit of Kenny Everett! The clownish mania for example! Spooky stuff. It could have been worse, it could have been the spirit of Bernard Manning!

STEVE JOZSEF, December 2010

Absolutely hilarious.

Liz, November 2010

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