If I didn’t know what to expect from shows like Bethan’s and Luke Rollason’s, I knew exactly what I was expecting from The Joke Clinic, but despite that, it is probably the show that I was least able to adequately explain to my friends before we got here. That’s always an excellent sign for me.
The premise in some ways is very simple. Walter and Charlie are two comedians who have selflessly decided to dedicate their time to helping other comedians improve. Said comedians bring them material that isn’t working, and they will help diagnose why it’s not working, and make suggestions as to how to improve it. The extent to which these diagnoses and suggestions are in any way helpful, valid, sane, or even requested is up for debate.
After a delightfully discursive start, on comes special guest Jordan Brookes - luckily, I’ve taken the others to see Jordan before, so they have some context there of what to expect at least. Jordan is such a fun act to have as the guest for this, because he will absolutely throw himself into enacting the pair’s bizarre suggestions for improvements.
Sometimes these are intricately funny, like the “metaphors” of chopped tomatoes and currency; sometimes it’s as simple as “do you need that many jokes about the Titanic?”. It’s glorious and I cannot stop laughing.
I was delighted to be given the opportunity to ask my own question in a Q&A at the end, and received what I would describe as a typically helpful answer from Walter. I feel privileged, in my own way.