Catie Wilkins: Chip Off The Odd Block

Catie Wilkins has fairly odd parents. Her father is essentially an automaton, while her mother is a walking volcano. Despite this, Wilkins is determined to turn out normal.

The show is structured around a series of family stories, including her mum’s vigilante justice and excerpts from Christmas round robins. They are told with tremendous affection, and can be very amusing. Wilkins gives a real sense of those closest to her. They sound like nice people.

However, she is too keen to play the straight man. The stories are well told, but she is rarely the star. Her more straightforward jokes, where she might be expected to inject her own personality, are fairly weak. The pithiest line is given to her brother.

This is a shame, as Wilkins is clearly a natural talent. Her delivery is measured and engaging, with flashes of cruel sarcasm. Barbed asides, as well as routines about wishing she was adopted or writing to the devil, suggest an intriguing darkness. Yet Wilkins' own idiosyncrasies are not allowed to develop, seemingly so she doesn’t intrude on her own show.

Without a strong figure to anchor the nostalgia, the result is a pleasant, but not especially hilarious hour of anecdotes. Wilkins might worry about turning into her uninhibited mother, but in this case she would do well to accept her inheritance.