Review: Andy Parsons’ comedy is solid but unspectacular

Review: Andy Parsons: I’ve Got A Shed
Venue: York Theatre Royal, September 13

Andy Parsons is best known as “the bald guy from Mock The Week“.  He has been a stand up for a long time; I have memories of his duo Parsons & Naylor doing bad karaoke on Channel 5 in the Nineties.

Parsons has a very unique style of comedy. His voice is distinctive and I always think it feels quite condescending, and that is perhaps unfair to him. 

He clearly has fans, and the show was much fuller than I was expecting. To me Parsons has always been the seat filler on Mock The Week, content to chip in occasionally as his panel mates move onto bigger things (Russell Howard, Frankie Boyle). 

This I’ve Got A Shed tour is based around the principle that Parsons is a normal sort of bloke, who gets frustrated at the stupidity of life. Welcome to the club Andy…

Parsons does his own introduction, setting the scene nicely, introducing himself as “a man too cheap to have a support act” which means two sets from Parsons himself. This is fairly unusual in itself, a lot of comedians take a support on tour with them so only have to do one set. Although as someone who has to come up with new material weekly for TV I imagine he has a lot to choose from.

The first half was the stronger. Much of it was material I could have taken my mum to, and judging by the average age of the audience, she would have fitted in well. 

Solid but unspectacular, amusing but not hysterical, Parsons’ best routine was a sequence about how annoying it is calling your bank. Earth shattering stuff.

Unfortunately, while it was all enjoyable enough, it felt more like a string of bits from Mock The Week than a properly put together show – although there were a few nice call-back gags to wrap things up.  Unchallenging but entertaining enough.