Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow - BBC One

June 2009

More Tom Stade videos

Bought up in the backwoods of British Columbia Tom Stade earned his comedy stripes in Canada, where he recorded his own one-hour TV special Stade And Confused for the Comedy Network.

Now largely based in the UK, he is a circuit stalwart who has appeared on stand-up shows The Comedy Store , The Live Floor Show and The World Stands Up .

He made his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2006 with the show And Relax.

Tom Stade Totally Rocks! Fringe 2012
Live Review
Pleasance Courtyard

In 1995, Tom Stade married a girl he’d known for three months. In Vegas, while drunk, and wearing denim shorts and a cowboy hat. We know this because he has the embarrassing video to prove it.

Seventeen years later, and he’s still married to Trudy. Pretty remarkable, given the rush of youthful, lustful infatuation has long subsided. Things have certainly changed between them, and he’s not afraid to explain exactly what.

This Edinburgh-based Canadian isn’t the only fortysomething comic to comment on the transition from feckless young man  to the stability of a long-term relationship. Indeed, you might spot a few clichés even in this strong hour – but they are clichés of life as much as they are stand-up, and Stade feels they need to be addressed.

Luckily he does so with a flair and punchiness that puts a crisp sheen on what is frequently blunt material. Some of the edges are further knocked off that by constantly seeking affirmation from the audience. To make us complicit, he nominates two couples in the front row and passes almost every hypothesis of marriage by them before expounding his theory. ‘That right, Kev?’ That combines with the tight rhythm and carefully-placed stress of his sentences to give his utterances a purposeful punch.

He mixes well-articulated observations of the familiar with graphic descriptions of his sex life and edgier comments, cheekily raising some harsh realities about his wife and his relationship with his children that can only be true, but would never be mentioned… at least in polite society.

Speaking of things that shouldn’t be said, Stade has a piece about a disabled passenger in a train carriage who was unable to control his speech; a routine which seems designed to make his audiences feel uncomfortable. Though he tries to explain it away by saying he’s laughing at the ‘situation’ not the person, you can’t help feeling he’s getting laughs from impersonating the only sounds the unfortunate chap. Yes, even if Stade did have an uncle with Down’s Syndrome.

Still it’s testament to his abilities that he pulls this off without anyone making the leap from awkward to offended, and he brought the topic back to his domestic situation just in time. The show does start to run out of steam a little a the end, as demonstrated when the big relationship issues make way for routines about Groupon. But after 17 years of marriage, that’s what his life has become…

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Only saw Tom once on Michael McIntyre's roadshow and actually only initially caught my attention because i thought it was Patrick Dempsey on the stage! I hope to catch one of Tom's show's he is hilarious, I've never laughed so much about so little. I mean, a meat van for crying out loud! I even Sky + it to show the rest of the family who found it equally as funny - good stuff Tom, keep it up!

Lisa McNeil, July 2009

Saw Tom for the first time on Michael McIntyre's comedy roadshow. A likeable persona with a perfect delivery enabled him to get 10 minutes of fantastic material out of the story about the meat van. Like a lot of other comments on here, you can't quite put your finger on why he's so funny but he is very comical and had me laughing all the way through his set.

Dave B, June 2009

Tom used to work at the comedy club my husband and I own in Kingston, Ontario Canada and although we haven't seen him for a few years now, I will never forget his performances. He has always been my personal favourite and no other comic has had me in tears from laughter. Wishing him fame and success in the UK!

Tracy-Lyn Hausen, July 2008

Saw Tom in afghanistan,where he came to entertain us troops with three other comedians. I'd never heard of him before and I can honestly say he is the funniest guy I have ever seen! I don't know why he isn't as famous as he could and should be.

Pete, December 2007

You are truly a great of your time. I like Lee Evans and Ricky Gervas and have een them both live but when i saw the comedy club routines about eskimos and family etc I thought they were hilarious, insightful and very clever. I can't sit here and analyse why you're funny, all I can do is hope and pray you bring out a DVD because i will be the first in the queue to buy it. Your like a stand-up version of Tommy Cooper without all the props.

gareth hiscox, March 2007

Edgy, spaced out. Resolutely not drunk. Tom was on fine form on Friday night at the Comedy Store. His edgy, slightly "wacked out humour" is definitely worth the experience. In some respects like Bob Schimmel, in others, much gentler, he is nevertheless fully engaging and consistently funny. He does have a few edgy jokes but each is delivered with such aplomb that you adore him more for it and want to remain engaged. See this man!

arvy, October 2006

Gnomic white trailer trash. Written on paper you his material is as thin as that paper. Delivered it is hilarious for some reason tied up with his character (which you would not want to be). He had a 200 size audience on a roll merely discussing a Meat Van in a car boot sale - viewed from American Trailer trash perspective on the bargain seeking propensity of the English. Go see him, if you can beneath his baseball cap, he will assuredly make you laugh - but heaven knows why.

Ben Heal, September 2006

I caught a short set of Tom's at the Phat Cave this year. Out of the twenty or so shows I saw, his was the only one which had me doubled over with tears rolling down my cheeks. Well done, sir.

Dan, August 2006

Skip to page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8