Sean Hughes

Some things can really spoil a good mood: food poisoning, reading up on contemporary Russian foreign policy or remembering Gary Glitter hasn't died yet. So it really begs the question, why, after such a strong set, does Sean Hughes think its acceptable to end with Karaoke, "singing" a horrifically painful version of The Waterboys' "Old England."

Hughes has been somewhat invisible since leaving Never Mind The Buzzcocks five years ago. He says so himself that he's at the rung on the fame ladder where "people aren't sure if you're off the telly or live a couple of doors down the road." So much so, he frequently gets heckled with "Have you put your bins out, Sean?"

Not counting myself amoung Britain's 14 million strong army of idiots, Hughes' latest foray into TV via Coronation Street passed me by entirely, which lends Hughes show No Excuse the air of meeting an old friend for a drink and a really nice chat. Some of the old absurdness is still there, but it's tempered by a world-weariness brought on by age and experience. The laughs are there, but they're tempered by the nostalgic memory of days gone by. Whereas once he seemed exciting and at the cutting edge of comedy, there's more than a hint of middle-of-the-road creeping in.

He's still good, though. Really good. Still able to tell a great story. Most impressively, his stuff on terrorism manages to completely avoid Glasgow - which is something of a breath of fresh air after three weeks of "What are you Scots like? Punting a man on fire in the balls. Isn't that funny?" - getting rather close to the bone by attacking some of the absurdities of Islamic fundamentalism. This is easily his best stuff.

Throw into the mix a few anecdotes about getting old, and a frankly ingenious thesis as to why people get married, and we have a top class set. All of which is sullied by the karaoke!