Spending Christmas with your family can often involve weird guests, rubbish books and nonsensical waffle. Robin Ince provides all three of those this weekend but in a far more entertaining form. Since its conception at the Albany on Great Portland Street, The Book Club has slowly won itself a cult following with its sarcastic literary criticism and geek chic credentials, all perfectly soundtracked by Martin White's mournful accordion.
The first offshoot of Ince's brainchild was The Dirty Book Club, an X-rated version that both tickled and titillated the funny bone. Now, as the winter draws in, it's only right that we should be treated to the Christmas Book Club. All the usual comic suspects are present and correct, including Take A Break aficionado Danielle Ward and the never downbeat Josie Long, who won the if.comeddie award - the new name for the Perrier - at this year's Edinburgh festival. Naturally, there'll be a Christmas theme to each of the segments, too, including a festive take on a Book Club favourite; excerpts from the
cheesy Mills & Boon romance series. Ward has also been planning a 'Now-tivity', a short but sharp play that aims to inject the kind of histrionic anecdotes found in Now magazine into the story of Mary and Joseph.
Acting as master of ceremonies will be Ince himself, a modernday figurehead for the befuddled middle classes and a fine stand-up in his own right.
Sun, Bloomsbury Theatre, 15 Gordon Street WC1, 7.30pm, £15, £12.50 concs. Tel: 020 7388 8822 Tube: Euston
