The Decaffination of Kofi Annan

The title of this act might lead you to assume that it has something to do with a certain ex-leader of the UN. It doesn't. The weak pun linking Kofi to coffee typifies the witless wordplay that characterises Noel James' show.

Correctly describing the whole event as "a shambles," James launches into a stream of groan-inducing gags, all reliant upon the same premise: that words with double meanings are funny. Unfortunately this is not the case. Gems such as "Chinese food is heavy, with that wanton soup" and "I used to work in IT but I couldn't hack it" predominate, leaving James longing for absent laughs whilst audience members fidget nervously, attempting to avoid his eye.

As if to remedy the lack of a narrative connecting the jokes, the comic constructs scenes around the punchlines, to disasterous effect; the dreadful silence that inevitably follows each gag's conclusion are only emphasized by the lengthy build-up which precedes it. James' bizarrely-voiced "hello" that often follows does little to relieve the awkward tension. Although his De Niro impression is uncanny, the comedian's sad acknowledgment that he "can't do the voice" provokes only sympathetic sniggers from the audience.

If your favourite part of Christmas is the post-cracker jokes, then James' act might just float your boat. But if, like me, you die a little inside every time your dad gleefully extracts that thin strip of paper, it's probably best to give this one a miss.