Review: Michael Welch: I Shouldn't Have Said That

With a show called I Shouldn’t Have Said That, you’d be forgiven for believing Michael Welch’s comedy would be boundary-pushing and near-the-knuckle, with something assured to say. In truth, it’s hard to tell where his humour stands.

The hour starts off well with some thoughts on identity – he doesn’t know much about his father and worries whether he’s missing out. He dabbles with the idea of masculinity – does he watch too much porn, Page 3 was bad, etc. But there’s a lack of conviction throughout. When he does veer towards the edge, he apologies and downplays his punchlines immediately after revealing them, which does take a bit of a shine off his bravado.

It’s hard to tell what the show wants to be and say: after a promising beginning, there are some attempts to be edgy, but they don’t quite stick, then Welch switches key to some lads-lads-lads and drugs humour. Eventually, the show turns into an engagement story, which is perhaps what it should have been all along. Welch is amiable and there are some real gems strewn around – particularly dark asides and off-the-cuff remarks to hecklers – but overall, I Shouldn’t Have Said That feels disconnected and unsure of itself.