Review: Howlers Comedy Night | Playhouse theatre, Cheltenham
28 May 2026
Vive la difference…in all its forms!
Vlad Illich, or as he is more commonly known “immigrant,” spoke in his second language and made an impressive impact. Towering over us both physically and intellectually the North Macedonian made an impactful impression with his original take on European politics. “Hey we f*cked up our country as well, just like you did.” Given we were in Regency Cheltenham, surprisingly, the observation went down better than Brexit itself. The complicit laughter was just as present for his take on his country’s entry in NATO – “with our two helicopters”, the difference between the Eastern European countries and the f*cking Italians. Before informing the Brits how it was. Top c*nt! The laughter was very nearly as loud as war.
Passive James Ellis, a defender for the lazy, disinterested and the bone-idle, a fuzzy-haired Cucurella for lethargic underachievers if you will. Ellis has the ability to take the “meat and potato” of every day chores, conversations and relationships and deliver a punchline in everyday language that must be the envy of his peers: “I’m 30% fat, I’m 10% fatter than salad cream.” The routine about his friends inviting him and his wife to meet their child was timed with the precision of a child wanting the toilet just as you pull out onto the motorway. More often than not Ellis was the butt of the joke. As we know, the Brits love an underdog and we were rooting for Ellis but I doubt if we would have given him the carrier bag with the eggs in…and all we can do is praise the patience of Craig! From a different perspective Ellis proves we have much in common.
Different. The sight of the oldest member of the audience and the youngest wrapped up in a bundle of limbs, participating in an ungodly sex- act on stage, as encouraged by the compere Tom Toal, brought a hushed silence as…
Jeff Innocent took to the stage, Jeff Innocent the doyen of the comedy circuit, his “bouncer’s” world-weary drawl as recognisable as a black eye that was not the fault of an open door. With an air of menace masking his intelligence and education the comedian sets about dismantling perceived misconceptions; offering an educated observation along the way and making sure we all laugh at ourselves. “I’m a f*cking minority in my own house.” The routine about “flag-shaggers” arriving in the capital, to protest against diversity, before filling the local Indian restaurants, Thai restaurants and Turkish eateries for the night, proved a point. Innocent’s cause celebre is his philosophical celebration of the difference that some hijack to divide. Of course, Jeff is no innocent but for a man who spent so much time in club land’s disabled toilets during the 90s, he has educated himself. I just hope for his own sake his son is not middle-class. The applause rolled down the theatre steps long after Innocent had started-up his Honda Jazz.
“We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.” Jo Cox, MP for Batley and Spen
By: Swilgate Scuttler