Markus Birdman wants to let us know that swearing CAN be big and clever after all, though as an ex-teacher he admits that it may not be appropriate in every job. Being an atheist from a religious family (Dad's a vicar), lets him bring a wealth of experience to a fun-filled hour of gags taking the mickey out of religious beliefs and stories.
Getting near the knuckle at times, he demonstrates excellent crowd control (not too surprising really from an ex-teacher), bringing us in nicely to his set without allowing hecklers to get too far. Riffing on whether sugar-free communion wafers are really necessary, and if biblical stories of slaughter and mayhem are really appropriate for his three year old daughter, he has the audience eating out of his hand. Moving on through a well-paced set about optimism, regrets, drugs and dwarf-tossing (these last two being not unconnected), he manages to give us one of the most convincing explanations of why God isn't a woman that I've ever heard.
If you're offended by a wee bit of swearing, or don't want to have your religious beliefs challenged, then this isn't the show for you. For everyone else, you should take the chance to catch this entertaining, likeable comic and his well-thought act before he really hits the big time, as I suspect that there are bits that some broadcasters might baulk at putting out on the telly. [Gordon Johnston]
