Award-Winning Comedian Nik Coppin

Amiable standup veteran Coppin misses the mark in an endearing, but ostensibly unfinished, show about awards

★★
archive review (edinburgh) | Read in About 1 minute
33331 large
102793 original
Published 06 Aug 2011
33329 large
100487 original

The premise is pleasant – Nik Coppin's new show discusses a lifetime's worth of awards won, from Easter Bonnet contests to Butlins breakdancing trophies. And Coppin himself is pleasant – always the everyman, he chattily explores his topic while occasionally waltzing barely-connected tangents. But despite likeability aplenty, Coppin's act falls flat.

Its core content is to blame: there is a noticeable paucity of actual jokes, and laughs often feel like a courtesy for an ill-prepared performer. This he acknowledges and he promises his act will, throughout the run, be "bulked up". Perhaps, but being on the Free Festival does not excuse half-bakedness. Coppin is misguided: he must learn that mere garrulous affability does not a show make.