Review of the prankster comedian's latest tour

He is, of course, known for stunts such as handing a P45 to Theresa May, showering Sepp Blatter with dollar bills at a Fifa press conference and ambushing Donald Trump at his Turnberry golf club.

But as a stand-up, Simon Brodkin shows little of that daring, bringing a familiar attitude to a commonplace set of topics. He tires of his kids, doesn’t make much of an effort in his marriage, notes that Americans are fat, loud and enthusiastic compared to pessimistic Brits and is witheringly dismissive about faddish middle-class pursuits like padel, wild swimming and intermittent fasting. 

However, one person’s hack is another person’s universality, and one could easily argue that Brodkin is simply being relatable, reflecting back what audiences already think about dodgy vape shops or useless politicians.

There are some decent jokes among this, with lines that transcend run-of-the-mill sensibilities. Even a formulaic premise, such as ‘what if we were to use VAR to settle family disputes?’ is executed with an effective act-out to get the most out of the set-ups.

Despite pushing 50, Brodkin offers a few adolescent-style gags about porn and necrophilia, then indulges in some ironic sexism before raising talking points that edge towards manosphere-type arguments about the neutering of millennia of alpha-male programming to fight or screw.

His more liberal stances, such as the British Empire not being entirely welcomed by all, received a little pushback from the Essex crowd, but Brodkin negotiated it skilfully. Meanwhile, he talked enough about being culturally Jewish to get his point across about being a much-maligned minority without preachiness or making identity his whole shtick.

Religion, incidentally, inspires the best routine in the show, with his suggestion of how we might end faith-based conflicts hitting the perfect mix of the silly and jokingly provocative. 

An unfortunate note about support act Michael Akadiri, who failed to do the warm-up job expected of him with a flaccid set that elicited little more than isolated titters from an audience of hundreds – proving that super-confident delivery cannot always hide a paucity of punchlines.

And with Brodkin himself kicking off his set with stuttering crowd work (largely not his fault, but how tiresome starting gigs with party small talk is becoming) it was a long time until the gig finally hit its stride.

Review date: 13 Nov 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Colchester Charter Hall