ALL comics evolve (well, there are always a few that make you want to check for opposable thumbs) but Miles Jupp has evolved more than most. In 2000 he was the chubby, tweedy star of The Stand's stand-up school showcase. Since then he has acquired Pe
rrier nominations, TV stardom, and worked with Stewart Lee and Simon Munnery. He has shed the tweeds, the brogues and what looks like half his bodyweight. The real Slim Miles Jupp is now standing up.
Jupp's delightful hour is characterised by the use of terms like "racy" and references to his "winkle". Not that he makes many such references, I hasten to add. Just one, in the context of a highly amusing anecdote about testicular torsion and the treatment necessitated by the condition. The first half of Jupp's hour is quite gentle, anecdotal, observational, funny stuff. Little toilet-roll-related traumas, his teenage years, dead dogs, Boy Scouts and panto are the subject matter, but it is Jupp's gloriously academic register that always makes me laugh. His three-word description of the East End of Glasgow is worth a star all on its own. His restaurant tale, told to illustrate a point about the lack of real communication in today's world, will strike so many chords you will want to join in the chorus.
The hour ramps up as Jupp warms up his irritation at the shortcomings of railway travel to a veritable blowtorch of outrage. He also voices awe at instantly decisive types and decries the TV news industry's newfound penchant for public access. A class act, as always.
• Until 24 August. Today 10pm
The full article contains 284 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
