SKETCH SHOWS

The stock of the TV sketch show couldn’t be lower right now after the vastly-hyped airing and subsequent critical mauling of Horne and Corden. And this monstrosity dribbled our way not too long after similar BBC3 calamities such as Tittybangbang and The Wrong Door. Yet such negativity shouldn’t blight the fine record of classic British sketch groups down the years from Monty Python to The Fast Show to modern Fringe pioneers such as the all-bloke Idiots of Ants and all-female Lady Garden. And in these parts, there seem to be rumblings of broken comedy gangs attempting to shatter the stand-up hegemony.

The Sugaring-Off Cabin includes the likes of Larah Bross, Ben Verth and Keara Murphy and are making sprightly regular forays onto the Stand stage with a bunch of amusing routines largely revolving around sexual matters. Meanwhile, Glasgow trio How Do I Get Up There? have been given a head start with recommendations from Lucy Porter and Des Clarke who worked with Chris Forbes, James Kirk and Kevin Mains at last year’s Fringe. The group promise around 35 sketches in their show, featuring the likes of Captain Dad, the inappropriate funeral director and a man with a balloon for a head.

The standard critique of all sketch groups is that they can be ‘a bit up and down’ and ‘a bit of a mixed bag’. Forbes is prepared for any flak that may come their way. ‘All criticism is fair because in whatever form of showbusiness you’re in, you’re opening yourself up to other people’s judgement and so you have to expect that not everyone is going to like what you’re doing. We personally aren’t really big fans of some of the recent sketch shows but only because we are big fans of sketch shows from the past. Some people try to be a bit too oddball and surreal while others seem to enhance the notion of comedy that is dumbing down. It’s really hard to find a good balance.’