Iain Stirling was Failing Upwards in King's Lynn
Well known as being the voice over guy on ITV's Love Island, BAFTA winning Iain Stirling is often recognised when he speaks, rather than by his face, and this bothers him somewhat.
More than 200 audience members turned out midweek for his stand-up show Failing Upwards, at Lynn's Corn Exchange.
With support from his sitcom co-writer of Buffering, BBC New Comedy Award winning Steve Bugeja powered through his 25 minute slot with the ever present threat of his recent food poisoning looming over the front row.
It has become the norm for the main name of a show to enter on to stage before the 'warm- up' or 'support' act and this gives the comedian a chance to read the room and it also puts the audience at ease.
Iain Stirling did this and it acts as a good vehicle to see the fans before the main 'show' and the mentioning of localities specific to Lynn.
He got the audience on side when telling us he had been turned away from Prezzo on the Tuesday Market Place as they were full.
He said: "I wish I was full. Imagine being turned away from Prezzo. I'm famous."
With the connection with Lynn fans made, he brought on Steve Bugeja who did some funny bits including about Japan, asking the audience if they had ever travelled there, but nobody had.
He said: "Why would you need to leave King's Lynn, you've got a Prezzo a Nando's and a Subway. And a McDonald's"
Describing himself as a 'classic mummy's boy' he did a good set, debating why overthinkers are given a hard time, really it should be the underthinkers who are criticised.
Some well experienced interaction with a live audience, he did well to finish his set feeling as ill as he did.
After an interval Iain Stirling introduced himself back on to stage wearing a brightly patterned tracksuit that served him well for visual comedy. It was a size too small and relates a lot to his set about his body issues. In his excitement to put the tracksuit on however he had forgotten to wear his glasses.
He comically described Lynn's demographic dichotomy as "well to do posh people on the one hand and complete psychopaths, with nothing in the middle".
There were many self-deprecating remarks too about the number of seats sold to see him in what is a 700-seater venue.
He said: "I've enjoyed it a lot more that I was expecting. I'm more famous that this room suggests."
His jovial attitude to fame and the constant punching above his weight comments the media make about being married to his famous wife all added up to an infectious night of laughter.
The Lynn audience took the parochial jabs well such as when he ordered an Uber cab in North London and said to the Lynn audience "I know you don't know what that is" and he went off on an ad-libbing tangent from a couple of hecklers that shows he is top of his game.
As he finally brings the mic forward, he ends the show with a masterful call back.
And the Lynn audience enjoyed it much more than we even thought we would.
Jenny Beake
