After finishing the live stage tour of the hilarious Sh**ged, Married Annoyed podcast with his wife Rosie, you’d think comedian Chris Ramsey would be keen to take a well-earned rest – but no.
The critically acclaimed comedian has been a regular face on our TV screens for almost a decade, appearing on Celebrity Juice, hosting his own show on Comedy Central and playing the lead role in BBC2 sitcom Hebburn.
2019 marked a successful year on the dancefloor for Chris as he waltzed his way to the semi finals of Strictly Come Dancing.
Now, he is most loved as one half of the husband-and-wife duo who make up the immensely popular Sh**ged, Married Annoyed podcast, ranting about annoyances, parenting, relationships and everything in between.
Chris is currently in the midst of his own solo stand up tour titled 2020 which, as its title suggests, has been delayed for two years due to Covid-19.
He has over one million combined followers on social media and – clearly a man in demand – his remaining UK stand up tour dates for this year are all nearly sold out.
We were lucky enough to sit in on Chris’ show last night at Aberdeen’s Music Hall where the packed north-east audience was treated to a fine comedy performance.
Chris Ramsey
Chris made a rock star entrance to the Music Hall stage amid the sound of distorted guitars and clouds billowing from the smoke machine.
His last visit here, however, was slightly less rock ‘n roll as Chris gained the first laughs of the night reminiscing over his experiences with a sick bucket on stage and trying his best not to throw up mid-performance.
Thankfully in better health this time round, Chris’ knack for storytelling was noticeable from the offset.
Almost everyone in the audience could relate to his “relationship struggles” with AI software like Alexa.
The use of two large screens in the stage setup allowed Alexa to barge its way into the performance brilliantly and the continued use of the screens throughout brought an extra dimension to the performance.
Donning a mustard cord shirt, jeans and trainers, Chris’ experience as a comedian was plain to see.
His use of dynamics – from talking gently initially to roaring by the time he reached his punchlines – was excellent and his theatrics, particularly while pretending to be his dad and twerking on all fours, were real crowd pleasers.
He dealt with the only heckle of the night calmly and professionally, but having more emphasis on audience participation would’ve elevated the overall performance.
The magic of live shows comes from their spontaneity. And though there were a few glimmers of this on the night, at times Chris’ sketches felt a little formulaic and rigid.
Going solo
Adored for his work with wife Rosie Ramsey on the Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed podcast, Chris made the most of having the stage to himself.
He wasted no time injecting a number of sly digs into the performance and those in the audience that are fans of the podcast were warned by Chris to not dob him in and message Rosie after the show.
But so strong is the bond that Chris and his wife have on their podcast, you couldn’t help but feel that there was a bit of pizzazz missing without her there.
Although he has carved out his career as a comedian in his own right, the best stories on the night were those that had been kept from sharing on the podcast, which now feels like the tour de force of both Chris’ and Rosie’s careers.
Still, from gags with his son at the swimming pool to hilarious stories of joining Strictly Come Dancing, there were no shortage of laughs throughout the night in what was a great overall performance.
Joyous end to the weekend
There was no encore come the end of the show, but its 90-minute duration was ample time for Chris to include all of his best sketches.
He waved goodbye with renewed vigour in his stand up work, having shared his struggles of feeling a tad out of sorts with live comedy during lockdown.
Smiles were painted far and wide across the faces in the audience as everyone made their way to the exit.
And what was a perfectly sunny weekend in the north-east ended with an extra sprinkling of joy, courtesy of Chris Ramsey.
