Clarxism

What a comedy show promises and what it delivers can be worlds apart. Des Clarke's Clarxism is apparently intended almost as a political manifesto, boldy setting out to start a new revolution. What this amounts to in practice, however, is little more than fairly typical stand-up, occasionally interspersed with a picture of him meeting a political figure and a mildy amusing related anecdote.

This isn't to say that it's a bad show. Clarke is a very warm, comfortable comedian, and fires off jokes at such a pace that, given the right circumstances, he could quite easily leave you gasping for breath. Certainly this is the case for some in the crowd, but his material often panders to the lowest common denominator for easy laughs. One section, taking the pulse of the room, was essentially a naughty boy writing rude words on a chalkboard at the front of the class. This time could so easily be spent being interesting and just as funny; it's clear that Clarke wants to take his audience to more ambitious places, but doesn't quite seem to have the nerve.

That said, there's nothing wrong with gentle humour, and it seems to be working for him: his popularity is attested to tonight by a contented sell-out crowd. But a good comedian, and Clarke should definitely be considered such, is more than capable of taking a good concept and creating a funny, intelligent and thought-provoking show. Frustratingly, this wasn't quite it.