Is there anything I can say that has not already been said about Tim Vine??
Yes, actually there is.
The comic genius, the “punmeister”, actor, singer, drummer, guitarist, one time world record holder, star of one of my favourite ever comedy shows Not Going Out and Edinburgh Festival regular is back this year with his show. Is it just stand up comedy with quick fire gags and puns? Well, no, it’s not. This is an hour well spent in the company of someone who makes it look easy but actually works very hard at his job and delivers a show well worthy of a possible “best show award” .
Tim’s show is called The Chat Show, and for very good reason, because he has people from the audience up on stage for a chat. Nothing new in that I hear you say but when you walk into the theatre there are slips of paper and pencils on tables, chairs etc with 3 simple questions on them.
1) What is your full name 2) What is your occupation 3) Name something ridiculous that’s happened to you.
So now you know it will not be as simple as just pulling someone from the audience for a chat. This is a show where Tim announces:- “You are the star of the show!” and he is not kidding.
During the show, Tim starts with some gags as you would expect a comedian to do, but then proceeds to pull slips of paper from his pockets and gets people up on stage for a chat. It is a formula that works, and works very well. I was in tears during a good part of this show (from laughing), as were the people around me. The gags were shot at us whether Tim was on his own on the stage, or when he had a guest with him.
Although often with shows like this there may be “plants” in the audience, and everything is scripted and set-up, that was certainly not the case with this show. I spoke to some of the “guests” afterwards, and they were genuine members of the audience. It was a great thing to hear Tim Vine and his quick-fire gags. His guests ranged from a Doctor to a prison chaplain, a student, a banker (who was initially booed by the audience but after speaking with Tim he had the audience on his side as he passionately explained he wasn’t making millions in bonuses and was an honest banker) and finally a police inspector from Leeds. Now a lot of the time when comedians get people on stage, they simply humiliate the person on stage, but not Tim. Every guest was treated with respect.
Tim and his guests were not outrageous. There was no foul language or sexual innuendo, thankfully, as this is an afternoon show. It is very family-friendly and indeed one 10 year-old boy was actually given the chance to be involved in the performance. All in all, it is a brilliant show and a great concept. The guests certainly are at the core of the show, and you can see that Tim really relishes his performance.
He appeared very comfortable in his performancel, and I have not laughed so hard for a very long time. This is a show that I highly recommend.
It deserves ***** a big 5 stars from me.
What struck me about Tim Vine is that although he is a very likeable man and very easy to talk to he is actually very self-deprecating. When you speak to him you know he is certainly not someone who is conceited about his fame. It was a pleasure to see his show and indeed a pleasure to speak to him afterwards.
After the show i managed to catch up with Tim for a quick chat myself and also Dave the Doctor who was Tim’s first guest on the show.
NB:Please excuse the background noise – interviews were carried out in the Pleasance Courtyard.
Interview with Dave Tim Vine’s Guest by Basher1969 on Mixcloud
Married Father of Three Great Children, Radio Presenting and Article/Review Writing As A Hobby. Lover Of Music and Like To Think I'm A Decent Guy.
