Original Review:

Show Rating:

His love of speed isn’t confined to cars, however, as his delivery is positively turbocharged – a breakneck rush through a wide range of topics, opinions and gags as he tries to cram about 90 minutes’ worth of material into a 60 minute slot.

He brings an animated passion to everything he says; becoming increasingly exciteable as he warms to his themes. The pitch and volume of his voice rises as he gets agitated by the stories he recounts. He becomes a vibrant source of energy, enlivening the whole room.

Topics go whipping past like fenceposts seen from an express train. How Britain’s sporting history is built on coming second; his own competitiveness, class divisions on planes, postages and even supermarket labels; his American namesake who committed a gruesome murder – brisk, sharp stand-up routines them all. He’s pedantic, obsessive and easily wound-up, which mightn’t be ideal skills for a laid-back life, but certainly work in his favour when it comes to stand-up.

There are some superb lines in here, although there’s a danger some of them may be lost in the avalanche of words coming at you – the excellent ‘rapier wit’ gag certainly deserved more than it got. It’s slightly disappointing that he did a routine gag about Heather Mills’ leg, and a section on the Scottish not inventing half the things they take credit for was similar to a segment that’s aired on QI, for whom Grant provides the audience warm-up.

But these are very minor points in a hugely impressive display of fervently smart stand-up, mixing general themes with the personal, such as losing his radio job and going through a difficult divorce. They’re mined for jokes, not for pathos, however as Grant’s never one to miss a punchline, which explains the high gag rate in this bracing hour.

Reviewed by: Steve Bennett