Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley!

Introduction

Last year, Michael McIntyre was the wunderkind of the comedy circuit. He was the breath of fresh air that blew through the stand up scene, a bright young, fresh-faced, likeable young chap, slightly upper class, verging on camp, with a razor sharp wit, keen observational comedy skills, and impeccable timing. He did the talk shows, the panel game shows, and when his first DVD, Live and Laughing was released, it became the fastest selling comedy DVD ever. One year on, it's time for the difficult second album. This year, Michael McIntyre plays Wembley.

Why'd it have to be Wembley? Last year, I reviewed Bill Bailey's Tinselworm at Wembley and was distinctly unimpressed. Not by the comedy it must be said, but by the venue. One teeny-tiny comic on stage, blown up onto massive video screens, to play to an audience of twenty million or however many squeeze into that arena, it must be an awesome experience live. But as a DVD experience it leaves a lot to be desired. I wasn't looking forward to this disc.


Still, let's see what 90 minutes of genteel observational wit, garnished with a frisson of camp naughtiness, looks like from a distance.

The Disc

It doesn't look all that amazing to be frank. Wembley is one of those venues where there is more than a comfortable distance between the cameras and the performers, or at least there is in this case. The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer may be impeccable, but that means very little when the show is filmed mostly in long shot, and detail is lacking. Fortunately there's no camera shake, but the grainy image is niggling enough. It's the same with the DD 2.0 soundtrack. The performance may be so clear that you don't need the subtitles, but it doesn't stop the sound echoing in that vast cavern of an arena, making the show feel a little distant and impersonal.


As for extras, last year also saw a run of Michael McIntyre Comedy Roadshows on the BBC. This extra takes all the Michael McIntyre bits from six shows, gets rid of all the guest comic spots, and offers 46 minutes of distilled Michael McIntyre comedy, with a fair bit of local observations in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Brighton and Swansea. These are all smaller venues, and it's worth noting the difference in image and sound quality, compared to the main feature.

Conclusion

If you liked Michael McIntyre's previous offering, you'll love this. I was very satisfied with 83 + 46 minutes of mirth last night, and have no complaints whatsoever, despite Wembley still being as unsuitable a venue for a DVD as before. The thing that hamstrung that Bill Bailey DVD, the lack of audience interaction, just isn't an issue here. Michael McIntyre doesn't really do the audience participation thing, his is a well-honed and impeccably delivered routine, and it doesn't matter if there are 500 or 50000 in the room, they are going to laugh.


It's easy to see why Michael McIntyre is so much the flavour of the month, he's affable, likeable and as inoffensive as possible, which is why he can get away with some of the edgier and more racy material that he does touch on. He's a safe pair of hands, the sort of comic that you trust, very much in Peter Kay territory. If I did have a whinge to share, it's that McIntyre is one of those ubiquitous comedians, and while the DVD does state all new material, there are one or two segments of his routine that have had a trial run or two on Mock the Week or similar. And I was actually mildly steamed at a gag that was lifted wholesale from Airplane II: The Sequel, and I saw it coming ahead of time.


That was the low point of the show for me, the rest of it is all high points, observational comedy at its sharpest, the absurdities of existence pointed out to us, and we laugh because they are so true, and we laugh because we are guilty of doing these things too. Trust me, you'll never look at a shoe shop in exactly the same way. Michael McIntyre: Hello Wembley! is pleasant company for a Christmas evening. If laughter is the best medicine, you don't need a prescription for this disc.