Lee Nelson, Shepherd's Bush Empire - review

Past it: Razor-witted Brodkin has more of a future than dated creation
16 November 2012

If Dappy from N-Dubz and Vicky Pollard ever had a child - unlikely, I appreciate - it might turn out something like Lee Nelson.

The trainer-clad, baseball-hatted chatterbox has become a cult success with his BBC3 Well Good Show and last night filmed his live DVD in Shepherd's Bush. It was not sophisticated humour, but there were plenty of laughs even if the character was too derivative.

Nelson, the creation of former doctor Simon Brodkin, ticks all the boxes of the modern amoral, uneducated folk devil. Strutting around onstage he recalled doing a spot of looting during the riots and being chased by a sales assistant trying to sell him an extended warranty for his stolen plasma screen.

There was more than a whiff of Ali G's ignorance here, as he boasted of blagging tickets for "Olympics 2013". There were also echoes of the Pub Landlord's xenophobia but Nelson's dumbed down discourse about his son, Stairwell, and his female conquests makes the landlord's ruminations resemble Ibsen.

These routines frequently felt predictable, but it was the tack-sharp audience interaction that earned Nelson his third star. He concluded with a father-v-son quiz which was funny and vulgar. His unprintable asides were better than anything in his script.

Brodkin is talented, but whether this character has a future is debatable. He joked that there is a time difference in Wales - Swansea is eight years behind England. Nelson's cartoonish clot often felt behind the times too. Well good? Well, good in parts.

Lee Nelson: Live
O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Shepherd's Bush Green, W12 8TT

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