A church is the last place you would expect to watch a clip from The Life of Brian.
After all, Monty Python's 1979 masterpiece caused outrage among the Catholic community, who slammed it as an incredibly blasphemous piece of work that should have been banned from theatres. Indeed, some countries did just that after its release, including Ireland and Norway. In Sweden, the film was advertised as being "so funny it was banned in Norway".
It was therefore a rather surreal experience taking in one of the most memorable moments from the controversial film on a big screen inside Bristol Cathedral.
READ MORE: Restaurant promises ‘big flavours and big tunes’ as it opens later
This screening wasn't part of an evening sermon, of course, but instead featured in David Mitchell's performance at Slapstick Festival 2022. The comedian, writer and actor - best known for portraying Mark Corrigan in Peep Show and his panel show appearances - made his debut at the annual festival this evening (January 27), sharing his favourite comedy moments of all time from both TV and cinema.
Host for the evening Matthew Sweet, known for his work across the BBC radio network, promised we would get to see the "real David Mitchell" over the course of the evening in his introduction and it turns out, unsurprisingly, that the real David Mitchell is a very funny man.
He provided incisive analysis as to why he picked the 10 or so clips we were shown on the big screen after their airing, as well as going off on several long-winded and wonderfully worded tangents about things that annoy him in life, from "pointless" television adverts to people who criticise canned laughter. The point of comedy is to enjoy it as a community, and hearing laughter over the top of the footage only adds to this, he argued.
At times the lines between David Mitchell and Mark Corrigan became very blurred, especially when Mitchell was at his most irate, much to the delight of the multi-generational crowd. Classic moments from comedy programmes and movies old and new made the cut, from the hapless antics of Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther and a young Julie Walters in Acorn Antiques through to modern-day sitcoms like 30 Rock and enduring characters including Alan Partridge.
Mitchell also praised 1999 film Bowfinger after presenting a clip of Eddie Murphy being forced to cross the highway at rush hour - a film he said is criminally underrated - and finished by paying respect to his chief collaborator and close friend, Robert Webb, showing two clips of his co-star. Interestingly however, neither clip was from Peep Show and the seminal sitcom wasn't even mentioned in passing on the night as many would have probably expected and hoped for. Perhaps Mitchell deemed it would have been too obvious to talk about; too much of an open goal.
To finish, there was time for a touching tribute to the late Barry Cryer, the revered comedian and writer who passed away today at the age of 86 - weeks before he was due to perform at this year's Slapstick Festival. We enjoyed several clips of the celebrated comic in action at Slapstick festivals from years gone by and some members of the audience were clearly moved by the send-off, as was Mitchell himself.
It was a pleasure hearing about the varied inspirations of one of the UK's most widely recognised comedy figures, enhanced by the stunning surrounds of Bristol Cathedral which, like Mitchell, is a new addition for this year. It's worth checking out the Slapstick website to see which shows still have tickets left, as laughter is the medicine we all need after the Covid pandemic.
Sign up for our weekly What's On in Bristol newsletter packed with essential stories to help you make the most of living in the city
