Bridget Christie: My Daily Mail Hell

You'd think that working in the Daily Mail’s gossip column for five years would provide some prime comedy fodder. Unfortunately, Bridget Christie's assurance near the start of this show that she’ll “probably be laughing hardest” proves prophetically accurate.

Christie is an appealing character with her West Country accent and girlish giggles, but there’s a distinct lack of punchlines in her set and the funniest lines get repeated far too often. The incidents she recounts are amusing enough, but there’s a real sense of disappointment in both her storytelling and her delivery – it’s more like being told a story by your mate in the pub than being performed to by a professional stand-up.

The funniest moments come when an actual Daily Mail story is read out and we find out how it came to be, but this is thanks to some appalling journalism rather than Christie’s talent. She shines towards the end, with her disclaimer in which she must tell us what parts of the set were actually true – it’s witty, fun and shows she can come up with a funny concept and see it through, without overdoing it. Sadly, it's not enough to save a mediocre comedian who had a rare opportunity to use her experience for comedy gold.