Marcus Brigstocke

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Scousers, debt-consolidation companies, US foreign policy, agnostics, chavs, 4x4s, climate change deniers: enraged Independent-reader Marcus Brigstocke hates them all, eloquently and vociferously. Seconds in, he’s launched into his first mini-diatribe against Scottish independence-mongers. Brigstocke clearly has balls, and his eventual, perfectly-observed concession that an Englishman railing against Scottish independence is reminiscent of "a shitty husband facing a divorce" keeps the crowd onside.

However, as Brigstocke eases himself into the show, his rage boils over. While impeccably well-informed, Brigstocke’s conclusions concerning his manifold bugbears – for example, 4x4 drivers should "grow up and fuck off" – frequently smack, in tone, of the Daily Mail wisdom he consistently lampoons. This is most evident when Brigstocke reaches the climactic section of the show, a particularly venomous rant against the three Abrahamic faiths. When Brigstocke remarks that Muhammed was illiterate (a remark he later justifies by the skin of his teeth), an uneasy silence settles.

This, you imagine, is not what the Radio 4 listeners came for. Brigstocke’s defence of his own, secular viewpoint is inspired – the atheist Pentecostal-style preacher who cures the myopic by making them put on their (man-made) glasses is a faultless comic creation. But by elsewhere snarling that those with faith should "fuck off," Brigstocke lowers the bar considerably and needlessly. Then, terrified of closing on this note, he overruns the hour by having a relatively inoffensive and predictable go at loan sharks. This perfectly illustrates the main problem plaguing this show: Brigstocke is apparently unable to reconcile his evident talent as a comic performer with the unbridled rage his material inspires. Of course, secure in this two night virtual sell-out run, he couldn’t give a fuck.