Price: £13.00

For my second trip to The Comedy Store on their Best of Stand-up night, there were five acts on again, making it better value than Jongleurs as the comedy went on for nearly five hours. The show was compered throughout the night by the large and effervescent blonde Jo Jo Smith who spent most of her time onstage making her jokes out of the nearest audience members, including a girl who was on a 21st birthday party and drinking whatever she was on out of a plastic, colourful pineapple - something later remarked on by most of the following acts. The first main comedy turn was from Irish Ian Coppinger, several inches shorter than Jo Jo Smith so had an initial problem with the microphone stand, but overcame that to crack a number of home-related jokes including what an Irish builder would say to the prospect of building the Great Wall of China ("3000 miles long, you say... 80 foot high...?? I'll call you back in a week with an estimate", only not to bother until a year later when getting another call from China). The second one on stage was Brummie Karen Bayley, a new girl to the circuit - who must've been one of the open mic crowd - and made a couple of decent jokes, but for the most part practically died on stage, and she knew it, but also continued with her material. A few people laughed out of sympathy, but on the plus side, you've got to admire someone to get up on stage in the first place.

The best comedian came at the end of the first half in the form of Phoenix Nights' Dave Spikey, who starred as compere Jerry St. Clair in the series alongside Bolton's Peter Kay. It was a welcome surprise to see him there. He started commenting on the black curtains at the back of the stage: "Last time I saw curtains like these I never saw my grandfather again...", plus many jokes at the expense of Wigan, such as when he went to do a gig but wanted to get some turps from a nearby hardware store. When asking someone there, "Is there a B&Q in Wigan?", the response came, "No... it's W, I, G, A and N!" When he did find the store, he asked for turps and was told (thick Wigan accent), "Over there... video turps, audio turps...". He concluded with a story about his idiotic son going to a Halloween party, last year, dressed as Harry Potter. He thought he'd get a night to himself so called all his friends round, but before he had a single drink he got a call and was told to go to casualty... since his son was taken in after bobbing for chips! "Ooh, third degree burns all over his face!" Next up was an excellent Canadian, Stewart Francis, who dealt with hecklers brilliantly and reminded me a lot of the dead-pan style of Rich Hall, also telling a number of crude jokes, the likes of which escape me as I write this but if I remember them I'll add them here. Closing the night was a guy called Pierre Hollins (thanks to Stewart Spaull for the surname confirmation) but who didn't seem the least bit French, sounded like he came from London and described himself as the "bastard son of Right Said Fred". Like Stewart Francis, I can't recall his jokes as I type, but his act did go on a little bit too long as he strummed his guitar.

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2002.