Dave Spikey - Overnight Success Tour

Starring: Dave Spikey Original UK Premiere: 2003 Dvd Release: 17th November, 2003 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding

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Dave Spikey is an English comedian based in Chorley, Lancashire. In 1992, Dave was asked to form a double act with Rick Sykes, as purely a one-off to support a popular musical duo called Intaglio. Dave & Rick were known as Spikey & Sykey. The double acts most notable success came on Central TVs New Faces show. A turning point came one summer Sunday evening in 1993 when Dave got a phone call to see if he could get to Blackpool in half an hour. Cannon & Ball were appearing at The Opera House & they needed a compere immediately. Dave won the Best Newcomer award at the Comedy Awards & there he met Peter Kay with whom he wrote & acted in Phoenix Nights, a hit comedy series on Channel Four. In 2004, Dave released his first DVD, The Overnight Success Tour. Towards the end of 2004, he wrote the ITV comedy-drama, Dead Man Weds, which he is set to co-star in, in 2005, with Johnny Vegas.

Surely the fact that Dave Spikey co-wrote the brilliant Phoenix Nights is reason enough to buy this DVD?! If not then here are some other reasons..........

In the past few years the PN lads have pulled off a minor comedy revolution & have made northern club humour more mainstream; & Daves DVD reflects this. Its a long way removed from the alternative or political comedy still on doing the rounds in southern clubs & some of the material has a retro feel, covering as it does old mens clothing, amusing cuttings from newspapers & gags about the effects of curry on the digestive system. However its heartstoppingly funny, being brilliantly written & delivered with a real warmth & skill. This might sound a bit sentimental but he also leaves you feeling good - at the end of the day his material is big hearted & compassionate - a welcome change from the sourness that some comedians fall back on for laughs.

Although hes recently hit the big time Daves been honing his act for over a decade now & you can tell because the whole show seems effortless. His timings fantastic & he plays the audience perfectly, whether hes stretching every last laugh out of a straightforward gag or taking the audience with him on one of his more surreal journeys. He uses his voice flawlessly & the newspaper cuttings section I mentioned earlier, in which Dave recites crass rhyming obituaries from the local paper, becomes helplessly funny when he reads them out. You think Id never have spotted that if he hadnt pointed it out - & as far Im concerned thats a mark of great observational comedy.

Have I convinced you yet? Well, along with his stand up set theres ALSO a special feature which is worth the money alone - Interview with a Clubland Legend. This is basically Jerry St Clair from Phoenix Nights in all but name, & is a breathtaking 40-minute stream of consciousness from the The Legend about his dour northern upbringing, breaking into showbiz, & finally hitting the big time. The pace of the gags is breakneck, one after another, & you dont want to blink in case you miss a joke or a sideways look. For me this is just as funny as the main gig & the intimate format shows off Dave as a true master.

Im obviously a fan arent I? But honestly, if you want to see very, very funny stand up by a very, very funny man, then whip out that plastic now. You will not regret it.

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