Daniel Sloss: The Joker

Daniel Sloss is young. How young? Well, near the beginning of his set he reveals that one of the inspirations behind The Joker's title was the song at number one on the day he was born.

There is a palpable gasp among half of the audience when he reveals that it was the 1990 reissue of the still-ubiquitous Steve Miller Band track – a demonstration of the wide age range lured in by his television appearances.

He doesn’t even look 21, and the admission that he barely needs to shave comes as no surprise. When he starts to talk about sex it seems a call to his parents, or social services, might be in order.

The title, of course, also refers to him being the joker of his family and, in a slightly desperate attempt to continue the theme, his interest in Batman’s most famous nemesis.

This tenuous triptych acts as a framework for his gags – broadly consisting of an introduction, family, his last girlfriend and some final thoughts.

Sloss is a true crowd-pleaser and is scarily at ease performing, but there’s something lacking. It’s not his delivery, which is perfect – it’s the nagging feeling that the jokes are being targeted to hit the broadest possible demographic. There are lines about his young person’s hair for the more mature members of the audience to scoff at. Conversely, the youngsters are delighted when he insists that oldies don’t get his act.

This comic duplicity will no doubt help to further his career, but it’s unlikely to inspire much true devotion.