Sally-Anne Hayward: Don't Judge Me

This entertaining hour sees the chirpy Sally-Anne Hayward deliver a set of observational comedy with little in the way of bells and whistles.

There’s no particular theme or story to Hayward’s act, other than a vague journey through her life, relationships and work history. In a comedy programme packed with PowerPoint presentations and narrative arcs this comes as something of a refreshing change.

Instead she offers largely unconnected anecdotes and riffs on a range of subjects – from satnav voices and yoga to relationships and dieting.

There’s hardly anything here which hasn’t been done by numerous comics before, but her sheer force of personality assures that even the most obvious punchlines get laughs.

Hayward has a chatty, conversational style which brings the audience onside from the beginning. The more personal sections work best, particularly when she speaks about the Oxfordshire village where she was brought up and her current home in Bristol.

She also shines when it comes to the topic of sex but—perhaps because this is a lunchtime show—she seems to pull back from getting too down-and-dirty.

It’s mainly well-thought-out stuff, though not exactly earth-shattering, and some of her quips seem outdated – for example a joke about Gordon Brown calling a voter a bigot during the last general election is hardly cutting-edge political satire.

This is not a show about the big things in life, but its early time does mean it is the perfect starter for a day of standup this August.