Review: Johnny Vegas - An Ideal Night Out, Just The Tonic

YOU know that thing where you go to a show and the comedian, band or whatever saves the really good stuff until the very end?

It's a tried and tested formula and can turn even the most mundane gig into something a bit special. You hear the best material at the end and leave the venue glowing, all but forgetting any pants earlier on.

Somebody should have told Johnny Vegas and friends. After a great night of stand-up from the man himself and four pals, we entered the second interval full of expectation for the third and final part of the show.

But he'd saved the pants for last – and they were grey, tired pants. The comedians, all of whom appeared in BBC3 sitcom Ideal, decided to screen a randomly-picked episode of the show from a DVD and "re-dub" it.

Dyson DC50i - Bagless upright vacuum cleaner - BALL Technology -...

Freenet Electrical Ltd

View details

Thisi is Dyson's smallest upright vacuum cleaner with the performance of a full size upright machine. The DC50i has Dyson's most advanced cleaner head technology and 2 Tier RadialTM cyclones.

Terms: LIMITED STOCK OFFER. FREE delivery to most UK postcodes - Next working day dispatch.

Contact: 01664 491439

Valid until: Monday, May 27 2013

The idea was that they would voice characters other than their own with hilarious consequences. But it became dull and tedious after five minutes and most of the audience had left long before the end.It was a shame because much of the earlier stand-up was fantastic. We got to see Jo Neary, starting her spot with a neurotic presentation on sex toys and ending with a superb Bjork impersonation, all about Valentine's Day.

Mick Miller got some of the biggest laughs of the night with his old-school gag-a-minute spot. The Noddy routine – think 1940s radio presenter reciting an Enid Blyton children's tale live on-air while getting blind drunk on gin – was genius.

And Johnny himself was on top form, picking out one family in the front row to poke ridicule at, despite working his anger management issues – and he was noticeably less shouty than the last time I saw him in Nottingham. We had the "alcoholic" mother, the "controlling" sister and the "terrified" gay brother all coming under fire time and again.

The best part, though, was Johnny venting his spleen about Michael McIntyre – a so-called comedian who couldn't be funny if his life depended on it."He did a joke about the French that went 'Haw hee haw'," said our hero, before calling booting his table over, sending drinks flying.It got the biggest round of applause all night.

So, there was some golden comedy – but save the best till last next time, eh?

Andy Darlington