Luke Benson: Backseat Hero

They say a week is a long time in politics but a mere hour can seem even longer in comedy – a fact fully demonstrated by Luke Benson’s debut Edinburgh show.

The title of the set refers to a tale about ‘the Bensonator’ being pursued by an angry taxi driver after a prang with his bike. It’s a story filled with comic potential but he careers through it barely pausing for breath, never mind laughter.

So quick is the gangly Geordie’s delivery that the story only takes up half of the hour; the other 30 minutes are filled with a range of confused musings backed by fairly pointless sound effects.

It’s exhausting. Snippets of material are successful and his accent, look and demeanor all bring to mind a young Ross Noble. Unfortunately that’s where the comparisons end. There's no control, just a rambling stream of consciousness. Some of it's good, some bad, most indifferent, but not a single line is allowed to hang in the air before the next takes over, which could perhaps work if the lines were all killer gags. 

On a more positive note, there are some real gems among the comedy rubble for those that can keep up. Benson also deals with the thorny issue of a less-than-full venue with considerable aplomb but the overwhelming impression is that he just isn’t ready to front a full solo hour. He’ll be one to watch in future years, though, after a bit more experience and a chance to rethink his overly pacy delivery and patchy writing.