Elis James: Speaking as a Mother

Elis James struggles with rough audiences. The critical reception of his 2011 show Do You Remember the First Time was somewhat marred by a gang of 25 Glasgow Rangers fans on a stag do– one of the perils of inviting the entire Fringe press-pack on the same night. Unfortunately there are a couple of tricky customers in tonight, a gaggle of drunk women who chatter throughout, heckle (albeit politely) and generally put James off his stride.

James perhaps struggles with assertiveness, a characteristic that manifests itself in his stories about being mugged by boys on bikes, and sexually harassed by teenage girls. But this put-upon quality is key to his charm: the Welsh valley-boy, seemingly out of his depth in the big bad world. Speaking As A Mother is his collection of stories borne of life as a fish out of water.

It should be pointed out that James is a naturally funny comedian. His gentle Welsh lilt—like that once adopted by Mark Watson in years gone by—imbues each sentence with a joyous charm that can't help but be infectious. His whole demeanour conveys a boyish innocence, and it can't pass unnoticed that one or two older ladies in the audience look protectively upon him with a motherly affection.

Unfortunately, though, this is a by-product of there being no edge to the show. Nothing in his material is particularly new or fresh, nothing particularly dangerous or exciting. For a comedian consistently lauded as an exciting up-and-comer, this is disappointingly middle-of-the-road stuff.