SHOW ME THE FUNNY LIVE FINAL: Thursday 25th August, ITV1, 9pm
Three thousand raucous punters descended upon Hammersmith Apollo as three comedians battled it out in a stand-up-off to be Show Me The Funny‘s first winner. The bars were packed, the crowds were dancing and the glitter cannons were prepped and ready, as presenter Jason Manford took to the stage for one final time to whip the crowds into a frenzy of laughter before the main acts commenced.
Judges Alan Davies and Kate Copstick were joined by comedy legends Johnny Vegas, Ross Noble and Bob Mortimer, with the three funnymen each taking one contestant under their wing before tonight to prepare them for their final show. Up for grabs was the so-called ‘ultimate prize in comedy’- £100,000, a nationwide tour and a DVD in time for Christmas. You couldn’t ask Santa for more…
First up was Tiffany Stevenson, doing it ‘for the ladies’ in a traditionally male dominated world. She certainly gave it her all on stage, with mentor Mortimer in stitches over her quips about her boyfriend and word LOL. Next to show us his ‘funny bones’ was Dan Mitchell, the Welshman being a firm favourite of Judge Copstick. It was a funny set, with the comedian looking very much at home on the stage following his tutoring from the veteran Noble. He cracked jokes about being single, kids in bins, and squirrels eating nuts. As you can tell, randomness is part of his act.
The final performance came from hot favourite Patrick Mohanan, an experienced comedian of Irish and Iranian descent. Playing on his family heritage, the man famous for his ‘hands on’ approach with the audience was in his element on the stage despite not being able to hug them, delighting the audience with a set punchier than mentor Johnny Vegas after he missed the buffet.
With the show coming live, all that was left was for comedian Manford to do what he’s famous for, with the presenter keeping the audience in stiches while votes were counted. Unsuprisingly, Patrick was duly crowned king of the hour, gaining a 60% share of the vote. Dan came second, with Tiffany in third place.
All in all it was a fantastic and funny end to what has been a largely successful venture into new and unchartered waters for ITV. Overall, the best man won, with Patrick being both charming and funny, and very good at hugging.
I do think however that it was a curious decision by the judges to dictate to the comedians what order they were going on stage in, as surely the last person to hit the stage would be in a much better position – surely picking straws out of a hat would have been fairer? Also, does a seasoned comedian like Jason Manford really need an autocue to tell him what joke to tell? The answer going by tonight’s observation was yes, though on reflection this may be down to the broadcaster rather than the presenter.
Look out soon for the video of OTB going backstage to congratulate Patrick, and also chatting to the celebrity judges and mentors.
