This isn’t the first of Darren Harriott’s shows to alight on a compelling subject for standup, then not dig too deeply into it. Should we celebrate the former, regret the latter – or just enjoy the company of a man who’s more about the convivial presence than the take-home? His new show Roadman – touring from September – contrasts the Black Country comic’s low-horizon background with where he finds himself today, and addresses his insecurity about his intelligence. Recently, he tells us upfront, he was on Celebrity Mastermind – “and I don’t identify as either of those things”. Good line; grabby opening: I’m in for the ride.
It’s a circuitous one. We veer far off-topic, via the 34-year-old’s thoughts on TV’s diversity drive (good in principle, bad on Game of Thrones) and why you shouldn’t drink wine with a straw on a first date. We’re more in the realm of the colourful anecdote than the well-hewn joke. But Harriott is a lovable companion on the journey, and the show gets more endearing as it goes on, reconnecting with the question of our host’s intellectual self-confidence and tracing his tentative steps towards self-improvement.
