Simon Bird releases unusual stand-up comedy special
The Inbetweeners star performs in an empty theatre, with no laughs.
Simon Bird has had fans in stitches over the years, with his iconic roles in The Inbetweeners and Friday Night Dinner. But nobody will be laughing at his next project.
That's because he's performing stand-up comedy to an empty theatre, as coronavirus considerations have prompted him to make his live debut to rows of vacant seats.
The filmed All 4 special, called Simon Bird: Debrief, is available to view now, and hopefully we'll be laughing from our sofas to make up for the silence on screen!
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The gig was recorded last month at the Boulevard Theatre in London, and is described as "a unique and audacious - some might say hare-brained - comic experiment, in which Simon asks: 'Can you even really call yourself a stand-up comedian if you’ve never heard a single person laugh?'"
If you're wondering about the material, be prepared that Bird is getting political. The press release says, "Simon, undeterred (or emboldened?) by empty seats and eerie silence, reckons with topics such as nationalism, sexism, the environment, and the NHS. ‘Debrief’ is a long-lens look at the decade leading up to the UK's much-criticised response to the coronavirus pandemic."
While Bird is an experienced comedy performer, this is his first stand-up gig and we're sure it must have been very odd not to have an audience reacting to your jokes!
Bird will be back on Channel 4 later this month with a Friday Night Dinner documentary celebrating the show's ten year anniversary, which will air alongside fan favourite episodes.
Simon Bird: Debrief is available to watch on All 4 now. To find out what else is on TV tonight, check out our TV Guide.
