He’s back... And this time he’s ditched the snapback and tracksuit in favour of a rather dashing two-piece. Despite this dramatic costume change, Simon Brodkin’s well-known ‘cheeky chappy' Lee Nelson character remains more or less the same.
Lee Nelson is a hilarious character who may have lost a bit of the power behind his punch when he lost the Nike trainers, but he is still undeniably an excellent comedian.
Whilst the suiting and booting is rather refreshing, prizing the tracksuit off of his famous character seems to have rather subdued him. What was once a depiction of a hilarious stereotype that subverted offensive comedy has become a little too close to reality. It is a little more difficult to brush off the obvious themes of sexism, racism and occasional homophobia that lie under almost every joke.
Talking of which, his jokes are full of insults, clichés and predictable punchlines. Somehow, however, he doesn’t fail to leave the majority of the audience in stitches. Brodkin is undeniably talented at creating and sustaining an intimate connection with his audience. He manages to disguise directly offending people as ‘banter’, giving them a cheeky smile and the occasional fist-bump.
It has to be said that he is an excellent showman, and has a powerful presence on the stage. He has a bountiful energy and this, combined with a masterful use of eye-contact, makes him very easy and enjoyable to watch.
‘Easy’ is a good word for this show. It’s easy and simple comedy. If you like offensive jokes told in predictable ways – which many comedy fans do – you will find yourself chuckling throughout. It fails to do anything new or exciting, fails to evoke or provoke, but doesn’t fail to make you smile.
Lee Nelson is a hilarious character who may have lost a bit of the power behind his punch when he lost the Nike trainers, but he is still undeniably an excellent comedian and entertainer. It takes a lot of skill to be preaching “peace and love”, whilst somehow simultaneously managing to offend every single minority in existence, and having most of an audience laugh about it.
