On falling over at 43

From Drambuie Late Night Pursuits on November 27, 2008.

More Sean Hughes videos

Until recently, a sardonic team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Sean Hughes started his career as a stand-up comedian by becoming the youngest winner of The Perrier Award. Several sell out tours later and two series of Sean’s Show for Channel 4, Sean diversified into writing, presenting and acting. Recently co starring with Peter Davison in The Last Detective (ITV).

Original Review:

It’s funny, intelligent stuff, neatly constructed and engagingly told. After 20 years in the business, he has the level of celebrity, he says, when people don’t know if he’s famous or simply a bloke from a few doors down, but his sense of humour is still keen.

There are a couple of topics he mentions that have been overdone – the airport check-in question about packing your own bags, or the middle-classes using dyslexia as a euphemism for ‘thick’ – but generally his thoughtful, wide-ranging set hits the mark with satisfying regularity.

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Saw Sean in Bromley lasy night - well beyond my expectations, hilarious. Helped by a unusually large number of odd people in the audience who just gave him no end of material to work with. Not sure he used much of his own stuff as it was non stop audience particiaption. Anyway, he was on top form A+

John R, April 2012

Went to see Sean's Life Becomes Noises at the Pleasance last night and haven't ever seen him live, so had no idea what to expect. I'm really really impressed! And I'm never impressed!rnThere are so many talented comics around these days but the difference is, with Sean you get a supremely gifted writer as well as an assured, masterful and hilarious performance.rnWhat I particularly liked about it was the structure that was almost operatic, with recurring themes weaving in and out of each other. I also enjoyed the social commentary that comes up here and there – not bitter, just bewildered and ruefully accepting.rnWhat he says about his family life; the difficult relationship between parent and child, for me, crystallised concepts I never even realised I'd thought myself about my own parents. It's basically the kind of comedy that makes you feel better about yourself. rnThis being about his Dad's death, I was thinking it would inevitably be downbeat – but what he's done with the subject means it's actually a good show to see for someone who's going through the same thing. You can rest assured, it's going to make them laugh. rnIt's uplifting with regard to the subject of death and it's uplifting to know that with so many very good comics about, you also still get shows like this that have gems in them that you know you'll remember for the rest of your life.rnGO SEAN!!

Kerry, March 2012

I'm totally in opposition to the majority of negative comment's made about Sean having seen him on a short Scottish tour - finally arriving at Inverness for the last gig on that tour. Most people seem to be harking back many year's to when they last saw him live! you've changed and so has he. He did what's expected of him -makes complete strangers laugh! and did it in a quiet, unassuming,gentle manner that we have come to know from him. Not some frenetic comedian bouncing about the stage - head/hair bobbing up and down like some Churchill dog ad.

Douglas Thomson, June 2011

Sean came to the small Border town of Langholm last week. Saw him in London 20 years ago and laughed til i cried. Not this time though. Obviously the man is not well and should not be putting himself and his audience through this misery. His act was lazy, lacklustre and pathetic, an embarrassment. I took my son aged 15 - big mistake. Left at the interval tired of the cheap jibes at the audience and the tasteless "jokes". It left a bad taste in my mouth for sure. What a waste -tragic.

jane rose, April 2011

Having spent a cracking evening in Leicester on Saturday, with Sean headlining, I can honestly say that as an avid, sometimes obsessive comedy goer that the comments on here seem to be about a very different chap than the one I had the pleasure to see. Engaging, warm, self depricating and a natural funny man. He didn't arrive in the last moments of the gig to be heralded as some do, but was there the whole time, guaging his audience and observing and enjoying his fellow comedians. Sean knows his trade, he's a witty and intelligent man, I'd be happy to pay to see him again and look forward to his next 20 years.

Ni Tle, January 2011

Saw Sean at Edinburgh Fringe 2010 at The Gilded Balloon. Had high hopes for this show but left feeling somewhat let down. He was in a foul mood and came across as a bitter has-been when gags didn't work. Shame as this could've been a really good show if Hughes had just left his bad mood at the door and just focused on his material. He spent half the set either chastising the crowd for not laughing and would resort to picking on members of the front row with cruel and witless jibes. Sean was onetime a great talent in the biz but now he's just an angry man who's in bad shape.

Alan, November 2010

Just seen him tonight and the review hasn't changed in over a year.Still shit.There were 5 yes FIVE people in the first two rows - 4 of them Irish and he spend most of the evening getting (strained) laughs from poking fun at them. It was only late in the show that he let slip he was born in London which explained why he kept going back to these people to get laughs.He is now such an embarrassment to see live and all he could do was moan about how empty the crowd was. Maybe the empty seats tells him its time to change the show

declan, February 2010

I think these comments are all very mean eager to run down Sean because he is far from his youngest comic win 20 years ago.I saw him last night at the Colchester Arts Centre and thought he was really thoughtful and funny. Much better than the massed produced, over hyped drivel seen today like "Live from the Apollo". He is a very diverse and talented human being that like many of us has reached 40 and has realised life isn't all it is cracked up to be. My own concern was that he seems a bit forlorn and unloved!

Emma Depper, January 2010

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