Ricky Gervais is probably the hottest British comedy export at the moment, following his television success with The Office (which has been made into an American version starring Steve Carrell of 40-Year Old Virgin fame) and The Extras. Picking up no less than a half dozen Baftas and a couple of Emmys stateside, he can probably boast being the most high-acclaimed comedy acts the Brits have produced too. So it's no surprise that he's filling large venues up and down the country in his latest stand-up offering, Fame. For audiences who have previously enjoyed his Animals and Politics shows, this was somewhat of a departure. Gone is the lecture-style performance, giving way to a more unscripted, conversationalist delivery of jokes around being a celebrity. The comedy he presented on the whole was funny (and the hour long set was almost enough to justify the £30 ticket price) though I think that some of it was lost in the size of the venue. Even though we had 4th row seats in the lower tiered section up the back, it was impossible to read any facial expressions and I have ridiculously good distance vision. Added to that, the topical humour was in some parts a bit raw and would be better suited to a more intimate setting.Back tracking a little (and this is more for completeness) the warm-up act was well chosen. Will Smith, an upper class mid 30's guy gave a performance that engaged the audience and took no cheap shots at anyone other than himself.
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