Laughs and love combined at Valentine’s comedy night with TV star

Kenton Comedy Club Valentine Special
Kenton Theatre
Friday, February 14

THE audience for this Valentine’s comedy special was a lively mix of friends, families and couples perhaps looking for a good time and an excuse not to chat with their partner.

Host Ryan Mold warmed up the audience with a somewhat raucous and funny (if sweary) question and answer session with the audience (just don’t ask about breakfast cereals). Then Paddy Lennox took to the stage. His gentle Northern Irish lilt concealed a mischievous sense of humour and he was engaging and likeable.

His routine combined topical with observational material and there was not a tangent we didn’t go down.

There were the predictable gags about posh Henley, focusing on the abundance of wisteria and the lack of a good fried chicken shop (fried swan, anyone?).

But the audience warmed to Lennox’s otherwise original and clever humour and he clearly had a good understanding of the crowd with his delivery.

Then it was the main act, Paul Sinha, who is probably best known for his appearances as “The Sinnerman” on ITV’s The Chase.

In stand-up mode, he is unashamedly unleashed from daytime TV.

He playfully suggested that those with jobs may not be familiar with him but Sinha has dabbled in various forms of entertainment, from Radio 4 to a forgettable performance on Taskmaster (and he used to be a GP).

His routine was a rollercoaster of boldness, hilarity and his own resilience.

He addressed his Parkinson’s diagnosis alongside anecdotes from his childhood, parental pressure, being “outed” as gay and having a heart attack. But there was no mawkishness. Sinha seemed liberated on stage, apparently not bothered about repercussions from his material, as he fearlessly expressed some long-held grievances, notably with online commentators and the Press.

But being Valentine’s Day, Sinha (happily married to fellow pro-quizzer Oliver) also told a few tales of love, including a romantic proposal and the inevitable social media drama.

The Kenton Comedy Club returns on April 3 with Robert White (Britain’s Got Talent), Kayleigh Jones and host Ryan Mold. Tickets are available via thekenton.org.uk

Kerry Hood