Stewart Francis review, Dukes, Lancaster

Francis was on top form for quick delivery of his famous one-liners during his ‘Pun Gent’ tour at The Dukes. A familiar face on BBC’s Mock the Week the Canadian seemed to win over the packed out crowd, even the joke about Michael Schumacher’s health, which attracted a few ooos from the crowd was not enough to put people off. If you are a lover of puns, lots of them, a whole show of them, nothing but puns, then Francis certainly won’t disappoint. Whilst the comedian should be applauded for his perfect execution, the novelty did wear off. Francis, smartly dressed, quick-witted with a microphone strapped to the side of his face reminded me of a motivational speaker as presentation slides stood behind him. However 30 minutes in I found myself waiting for a longer joke, something to build up to a finale. But sadly not. An unfair remark, as Francis is renowned for his puns, after all the show is called Pun Gent. But the continuous joke about Sean Connery as his lack of diversity in his acting roles became unbearable. Francis did do a good impression of the Bond star but I desperately wanted something fresher and toilet humour didn’t quite scratch that. The funniest remark was when Francis told the audience he was being fed jokes through his ear piece. Francis, a genius comedy writer but not one I want to watch for more than a few minutes I’m afraid. Hats off the to support act Allyson June-Smith, another Canadian comedian who did not do puns and who I wanted to watch for the rest of the evening.