Andrew Lawrence: Uncensored

Throughout this sustained attack on the state of Britain, and the country's comedy scene in particular, Andrew Lawrence is careful to temper his opinions with the phrase, “I could be wrong”. He does this for two reasons. The first is so audiences may think him an open-minded, reasonable man, eager to engage in civilised discussion. The second is that part of him must realise he's mistaken on nearly all counts.

He isn't wrong because his opinions fly in the face of an imagined liberal establishment, but because he says things which are provably inaccurate. Never mind prevailing social trends, logical fallacy has led to the well of bitterness from which he presently drinks. “I've not had a lot of luck in my career,” he opines before a paying audience of respectable size.

The bulk of Uncensored addresses Lawrence's part in a recent series of social media controversies. Among other things, these saw the Live at the Apollo star express support for UKIP, criticise immigration policy and blame his perceived lack of TV exposure on equal opportunities initiatives.

For a performer to take on his industry in such public, undignified terms requires a great measure of bravery. Unfortunately, Lawrence squanders this by labouring under the misconception that we suffer from a deficit in reactionary right-wing comedians. Furthermore, if the room's mood is 'tranquil' tonight, it's because he's barely written any jokes into his baffling, inconsistent tirades.