Alicia Adejobi spends an evening with The Daily Mail's number one enemy.
Having recently observed Vikki Stone's annoyance at The Daily Mail and now that of William Hanmer-Lloyd, it's fair to say that I've seen my fair share of comedians bashing the tabloid newspaper. Is The Daily Mail Dead Yet? is a thoroughly entertaining show that definitely leaves you despising the newspaper- if you didn't already that is.
The newcomer's show serves as a platform for him to air his disbelief at the tabloid's poor journalism. But Hanmer-Lloyd's hate campaign is like no other. Revealing his geeky nature, he informs us that he's spent months, maybe even years, conducting thorough research of The Daily Mail. Armed with stacks of print-outs, the part-time advertising agent wastes no time in giving us a run-down of all the ridiculous things the newspaper has claimed will kill us, including visiting the doctor and, quite bizarrely, children.
Although the title of the show suggests that it is solely about the infamous tabloid, Hanmer-Lloyd deviates from the main subject to treat us to lighter moments about his personal life. This serves nicely to alternate the flow of the show and, more importantly, gives us an insight into who he really is. The story of how he reluctantly had a one-night stand with a woman even after her dog died in the same room is amsuignly shocking and expertly delivered. As he casually sips on his pint of lager, Hanmer-Lloyd also tells us about his days as a secondary school teacher who unintentionally inflicted racism onto his pupils. After telling off a black student, Hanmer-Lloyd then proceeded to report him to the head teacher – only to point out the wrong black student.
Occasionally when comedians tell personal stories, you sometimes wonder how true they are. But Hanmer-Lloyd's care-free manner is so genuine that even when he tells the ridiculous story of his girlfriend buying fish-flavoured condoms for their dog, it seems believable.
At over six feet tall, the friendly giant oozes with confidence, and although it's not a perfect masterpiece, the off-points are overshadowed by his engaging conversational style and his enthusiastic interaction with the audience. An all-round effortlessly entertaining and witty show.
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