Andy Hamilton,

Wyvern Theatre,

Swindon

ANDY Hamilton is perhaps not the most obvious stand-up comedy star in the country, but there is no doubting his credentials.

He is one of Britain’s leading comedy writers – Drop The Dead Donkey and the brilliant Outnumbered are his best known sitcoms, and he is a regular contributor to radio. You’ll also see him pop up regularly on shows such as Have I Got News For You and QI.

But is he any good at stand-up? Well yes, he is.

For the best part of two hours he had the packed Wyvern audience eating out of the palm of his hand (one of which, as he pointed out, doesn’t have a thumb – which became the subject of a very funny schoolboy reminiscence), and anyone expecting material verging on the cerebral and highbrow from a regular QI contributor would have been surprised at occasional expletives that flew around (but then, he is a Chelsea supporter).

The first half of the show saw Andy doing what comedians do best – talking about themselves in funny/awkward/embarrassing/ dangerous situations.

And some of his funnier stories involved near death experiences, such as when he was confronted by an angry bull hippo in Kenya, by a foul-mouthed tattooed thug on the Underground, and by a bear-sized hospital orderly who was called on to help a doctor fix the comedian’s broken arm.

There was some audience participation in which we gave Andy a re-creation in sound of last year’s London riots, and in the second half he responded, often hilariously, to questions left on stage at the interval by audience members, proving he is as good at off-the-cuff comedy as anyone.

It was not the most uproarious night the Wyvern has seen, but it was certainly an entertaining one from an experienced exponent of the art of comedy.

STEPHEN WEBB