Jon Richardson: It's Not Me, It's You

It's probably fair to say that Jon Richardson's charm, affability and fantastic line in self-deprecation get him a long way indeed. That's not a criticism as such, rather it's to note that his skill as a comic pulls him through junctions at which other book readers might fare less well.

It's Not Me, It's You is, to all intents and purposes, a book reading. A book reading, albeit, conducted by an obviously talented comedian (not to mention a successful BBC 6 Music presenter). "Everything about this feels like an arseholeish thing to do," Richardson remarks after a faux serious opening, and continues in this vein, doing sterling work in popping the bubble of pomposity that such events can have. To an extent, it works, providing some lovely moments of comedy and a genuine sense that this neophyte brings to the format more than an attempt to flog more copies of his bestseller. His book isn't half bad, either, its best moments allowing the audience to luxuriate in the award-winning comedian's superlative pedantry.

At the same time, though, one can't help but feel Richardson is winging it a bit. Playing to a sell-out croud of fans—most of whom have, literally, bought the book—he knows that he can sidestep shaky moments with an awkward giggle and still elicit approving laughter. He does this a lot. It's also clear that not all passages are equal: some go on for too long or just aren't funny; few are related to what precedes or follows. Richardson needs to decide if this is primarily a comedy gig or a literary event and, if there's to be any hint of the latter, a little more preparation or structure wouldn't go amiss. Still, for a literary first-timer, he puts on a performance to put some of the book world's more experienced readers to shame.