Phill Jupitus: Stand Down

“You may recognise me from every fucking show on Dave,” chortles Phill Jupitus by way of introduction.

In fact, it was after seeing himself on the repetitive digital channel that Jupitus decided to shed weight. Six and a half stones later he’s less recognisable than he would be with his belly of old.

Those only aware of Jupitus’s television work might also find his persona confounds their expectations. This isn’t the cuddly team captain of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, but the spiky curmudgeon of The Perfect Ten, the podcast Jupitus sporadically records with writer and friend Phil Wilding.

Indeed, fans of the latter show will recognise a few of the topics covered, including a recurring riff about a Welsh porn actress.

Jupitus has been away from standup for about a decade but he doesn’t seem ring-rusty, with a slow, meticulous style and a relaxed demeanor.

The set is split into two segments, the first showcasing the comic’s surprising range of accents and impressions. His Eddie Izzard in particular is pitch-perfect.

The second half sees Jupitus work his way through a selection of age groups, building up a world where teenagers are sex-obsessed, those in their 20s don’t get hangovers and 30-somethings are shallow and smug, while passing 40 ushers in an era of tiredness.

If it doesn’t exactly sound like inspiring subject matter that’s because it isn’t. It’s all perfectly amusing stuff, but the storming last 10 minutes of the set shows what Jupitus is really capable of, making the preceding material seem somewhat lazy in comparison.