Michael McIntyre's Big Show - Comedy Review

Figure 1. Poster

Michael McIntyre is a well known stand up, British Comedian. On BBC One he presented his own program called Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. He also performed in Live at the Apollo and became a judge in 2011, for Britain's Got Talent.

Stand-up originated from the United States and gradually became a popular form of comedy.
"In the United States, where it developed first and reached its greatest popularity, it had its origins in the comic lecturers, such as Mark Twain, who toured the country in the 19th century. It began to emerge as populist entertainment in vaudeville in the early decades of the 20th century."
(Zoglin, 2017)

Figure 2. Mark Twain

"Stand Up Comedians usually write, direct and perform their own material. In some cases, as they become more established, they may also work with another writer, or with a team of writers." (Creative Skillset, 2017)
Michael's material usually revolves around his personal life and the situations he goes through. He tells humorous stories about his family, friends, work colleges or just the general 'every day' people that he comes across.

Figure 3 Michael McIntyre

In his most recent show: 'Michael McIntyre's Big Show' he does more than just stand- up comedy, he is also more interactive with the audience members, strangers and invites celebrities too. Most of the comedy often surrounds the embarrassment and shock of an audience member or celebrity.

For example there is one point in the show called 'send to all' where he takes possession of a celebrit phone, writes out a funny message and sends it to all of their contacts. Later on in the show he checks the celebrity's phone,  to see what the responses are.  They are often humorous in their own right but with Michael McIntyre's  sense of timing he ensures that the lines are delivered to maximum effect.

Figure 4. Danny Dyer

Another game they play is 'Unexpected Star of Show.' A person will be nominated by a family member without them knowing,  to sing on the show. As part of the act, Michael usually arranges a meeting with the person but creates a different persona so that the person nominated doesn't know its him. He might be disguised as a waiter in a restaurant or the Chief Karate Instructor at a Training centre.

Michael entertains the audience  in disguise whilst the person concerned is completely unaware of the scam. The next time they see Michael it is after the walls of a makeshift room have fallen down to reveal him and the theatre full of people. Michael reveals his true identity.

The person is usually in great shock when they see Micheal McIntyre and a huge audience in front of them. He then sends them off to train with a vocal coach before they perform later on in the show.

Figure 5. Sanja Michael McIntyre

Also another game that is very funny is the 'Midnight Gameshow.' McIntyre enters someones home (with permission of a family member) during the middle of the night and wakes them up by bursting into their bedroom with the camera crew too. He then starts to quiz the person, which results in them winning prizes. The person is often left startled and confused whilst the other family member is in fits of laughter.

Figure 6. Lee and Michael McIntyre

"Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, back on BBC1 for a third series, saw the Marmite stand-up continue his transformation into an all-round host/entertainer in the Bruce Forsyth mould." (Robson, 2017)

Not everyone will like Michael McIntyre's style of comedy. Comedy is rather like "marmite." I believe this is because comedy something that is personal to the viewer. How funny something is, can depend on our age, life experiences and culture. In my view, I think Michael McIntyre is excellent at creating stories that we can relate to. He is not crude in his approach but warm, positive and family friendly.  It is funny to laugh at other people's misfortune and Michael McIntyre manages to combine this type of humour and laughter whilst maintaining the respect and integrity of his stooges.

Illustration List
Figure 1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/resources/tickets/take_part/big_show.jpeg
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Figure 2. https://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/marktwain_cc_img_0.jpg
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Figure 3. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=michael+mcintyre&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiv-IP33YLYAhVIOhQKHRMiAQIQ_AUIDCgD&biw=1536&bih=759#imgrc=gsRQSotvHalFSM:
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Figure 4. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/59WmgFlxrv0/maxresdefault.jpg
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Figure 5. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1920x1080/p05qcx4d.jpg
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Figure 6. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XhJPq0v7mZo/maxresdefault.jpg
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Bibliography
Creative Skillset (2017) Stand Up Comedian http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/314_stand_up_comedian
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Robson J (2017) Michael McIntyre's Big Show: A pleasantly silly Saturday night winner https://inews.co.uk/essentials/culture/television/michael-mcintyres-big-show-bbc1-review-pleasantly-silly-saturday-night-winner/
(Accessed 11.12.17)

Zoglin R (2017) Stand Up Comedy https://www.britannica.com/art/stand-up-comedy
(Accessed 11.12.17)