Paul Ricketts is a natural storyteller. Born and raised in Bedford, he had many careers before turning to comedy in 2005. Luckily, these jobs – including working as a professional bird scarer in Kent – provide excellent autobiographical comedic material and it is clear that Ricketts is now excelling in a career that suits him.
Ricketts’ show this year succeeds in creating a subtle blend of the naturally funny and the touching and poignant. Indeed, he is very engaged with black history and politics and thus makes use of racial, cultural and satirical subjects in his comic material. These fit in well alongside his sharp observations and hilarious stories, but crucially the poignancy of some of his remarks do not get lost or subjected to being merely funny – they stand alone as things to think on, as indeed they should.
Much of the show is about the new wave of young comics and how Ricketts himself has been subjected to talk of making his act ‘younger’, ‘hipper’, ‘cooler’. Well, I can tell you now – Paul Ricketts need do nothing, for he exudes an effortless sense of ‘cool’ as it is. Furthermore, it is really refreshing to see a comic who is not vulgar, as so many of the new wave of comedians seem to be. Instead, his show is a perfect tapestry of the silly, the serious and the surreal, with sharp political (and occasionally close to the bone) remarks woven in.
The show is very enjoyable and will suit most audiences. Those seeking an intelligent and informed evening of laughter should buy a ticket and queue for Ricketts.
