There's been rather a lot of chat on my socials this week following critic Brian Logan's article in The Guardian about the rise of crowdwork and how it is changing the face of live comedy. Logan pointed to the way comedians are now foregrounding and filming their chat with the audience because it was a way of getting megahits on TikTok. He cited comedians such as Matt Rife one one of the leading lights of this new breed of jokesmith whose spontaneous quips are seen by millions and helping them sell out arenas.
While it was a theory that had some value, it seemed to miss out quite a few points as well as names. Paul Smith, for example, has made his name partly off the back of clips of him chatting to his audience when compering at the Hot Water club in Liverpool. It's a bit route one - "Nice teeth mate are you just back from Turkey?" – but it gets results both on the night and online. Smith now plays arenas.
Logan also skimmed past James Acaster, whose latest show, Hecklers Welcome, is all about audience interaction. I haven't reviewed it yet - critics are unwelcome – but Acaster has always had a slightly uncomfortable relationship with the audience getting in on his act. I remember seeing him do a guest spot at one of Robin Ince's science gigs. He opened by saying something like "Good evening nerds" which did not go down and things only got stickier from there.
The dynamic between performer and audience is an odd one. Some attract unwanted interaction like iron filings to a magnet while others keep it at bay. I've seen Jimmy Carr and Kevin Bridges shows where even their smartest put downs have failed to stop fans shouting things out. In the end punters have even been removed. Usually to massive cheers from the rest of the room, suggesting that hecklers are most definitely not welcome.
Crowdwork is not new of course. Maybe it happens less in the rarified climate of the Edinburgh Fringe where shows often take on a more theatrical tone, but it's been happening in comedy clubs for years where the fans are so close you can see the whites of their eyes and it would be positively rude to ignore them.
It was there long before comedy became a clippable commodity. Some of the best comics in the business do it as a way of easing their way into their set. I've heard it compared to the "fluffer" on a porn film shoot. The lubrication before the main attraction – the scripted material, I mean – kicks in.
The best banter is when a comedian is warming up the crowd and getting to know them before getting stuck into their proper set. Dara O Briain and Al Murray are probably the best at this. They might also ask the most basic ‘where you from, what do you do’ questions, but like the finest schoolteachers they bring out the best in the crowd.
O Briain has a mind as quick as a lightning flash, Murray, in the guise of the Pub Landlord, has a mental Rolodex where he seems able to pull out a quip whatever job the audience member has. Obviously there are easy ones – teacher, IT worker – but I've never seen him silenced. The Pub Landlord can weave comedy gold out of any old bullshit.
Update - after this column appeared, both Murray and O Briain responded on X. Murray wrote of crowdwork: “It's not an end in itself it's a means to an end. Reintegration creates fresh running jokes, it makes each night unique, you let your thinking be loose enough to unlock every different audience if you get it right.” Dara O Briain said that the front rows are all actors, it is workshopped in advance and they’ve all signed NDAs….
Brian Logan seemed to worry that because of the rise of TikTok clips audiences were buying tickets expecting to see whole shows of crowdwork and maybe even be part of the show. He feared comics might pander to this expectation at the expense of crafted material.
I do sometimes get a sense of a rise in audience members actively wanting to be a part of the show. Maybe this is partly down to TikTok clips of back and forth chit chat. Others suggest it is a knock on effect of lockdown. People became so used to shouting at the screen when they were home alone they now shouting at performers onstage from the stalls forgetting that they are no longer on the sofa watching the "bantz" in their pants.
Crowdwork can be risky though. Only last night I was watching Chloe Petts chat to the audience when she opened for Ed Gamble at the Hackney Empire. When Petts asked someone where they were from they replied "Israel". Where do you go from there during a comedy gig?
For a moment Petts was quiet, but then she snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by saying to someone else in the front row: "So where are you from then, Russia?" If only the gig was being filmed I imagine you'd be able to see Petts brilliantly getting everyone back on board without even having to leave your house.
THREE TO SEE
Douglas Is Cancelled - Steven Moffat’s four-part comedy drama about cancel culture is very funny and, of course, very topical. Your view on it may depend on which millennium you were born in but it is well worth a look. Watch all four parts on ITVX.
Laura Smyth – This powerhouse comedian is really on a roll and on tour. She has just added a major date at Indigo2 on November 7. Tickets and dates here.
Ricky Gervais – love him or hate him you can’t avoid him. He’s just announced more warm-ups for his new show, entitled Mortality. Details here.