Town Hall, Falkirk, 24 August 2006, and touring

THERE IS little point in describing Ross Noble’s show in any detail, as I imagine that very few of the ideas emanating from it will ever see the light of day again.

Ross Noble

Improvisation is the main tool in the Geordie comic’s box, and he’s not afraid to wield it wildly. For those looking for a tightly-honed set where every pause is planned, Noble isn’t the man to go and see. But if you like stand-ups that fly by the seat of their pants, book your tickets now.

Ross Noble is keen on getting his audience involved, but unlike many stand-ups on the circuit, he’s only looking to bounce off them rather than make them the butt of the gags.

On this occasion, for instance, he seemed genuinely sorry when his tone slipped from ‘Carry On’ saucy to something closer to Roy Chubby Brown territory (he said one of the crowd had been “slagging about with the Little Chef” when he had meant to go for more of a “she’d been flipping his pancakes” vibe).

Given this, it seemed a bit odd that he spent so much of his time enquiring as to why a large number of people at the front had crutches. Among the responses were a bone infection and a muscle wasting disease. Not exactly comedy gold, and his refusal to move away the topic saw him digging something of a hole for himself.

Such are the dangers of improvised comedy. But Noble is too full of energy to be derailed by the sections that don’t work.

Though his approach to content involves a lot more freewheeling, you can see the influence of Billy Connolly on Ross Noble’s act. One section that was particularly reminiscent of the Big Yin saw him impersonating a giraffe who was having his testicles tickled by Jesus.

I suspect Ross Noble is a bit like comedy marmite; you either love him or hate him. His fans will find the crazy tangents he shoots off on incredibly amusing, whereas I find so much wackiness quickly becomes pretty boring. Judging by how well received he was by the Falkirk crowd, however, my opinion does seem to be that of the minority.

Ross Noble plays the Corran Halls, Oban, on 26 August; MacDonald Highland Resort, Aviemore, on 27 August, Perth Theatre on 28 August, and Universal Hall, Findhorn, on 29 August 2006.

© Bruce Munro, 2006