Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Richard Herring is comedian whose look on life and complete honesty in his view and comedy may upset a small selection of the public but the man certainly knows how to make people laugh and judging by the cross section of society in the Epstein Theatre, he pretty much knows that Liverpool people understand him and love what he says.

The thought of the last taboo of British comedy may not be for everyone. His talented interested and intellectual approach to the thoughts of what make men and their best friend tick in his sell out show Talking C**k bordered upon the insanely genius and entertainingly superb.

From the moment Mr. Herring walked on stage he had the audience enraptured and on his side, even warning people that it didn’t involve puppetry or ventriloquism, he proceeded to walk people through some of the more astounding facts surrounding the male friend and where he excelled with this stunning observation was his use of views of women about their partners, sometimes in very graphic and truthful terms. The moment where he explains a rather disturbing accident that one woman witnessed in a male injury had the men in the theatre grimacing and the women nodding their approval at the said woman’s response to her bleeding boyfriend, “Don’t get the blood on the clean sheets”.

With more statistics than can be normally found in any good sexual health guide, this was a show that whilst on the face of it was suitably brilliant as stand-up, fell into the realm of a human behaviour study with the odd joke demeaning or indeed praising man’s special relationship.

Outrageously funny, perceptive and without equal, Richard Herring remains the thinking woman’s bit on the side and the comedian who gives more intelligent humour than almost any other in the business. So next time you hear a man or woman decrying the useless addition to mankind, it is worth pointing it out to them that perhaps it is just shy.

Ian D. Hall