Steve Day: Run, Deaf Boy, Run!

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Steve Day's show recounts how he partook in this year's London Marathon and, though faintly interesting, the hour falls flat. It feels cruel to slate someone so likeable, as Day comes across as a genuinely nice guy. His story, however, is predictable and tends to drag, despite an uplifting moral message.

Yes, it's about overcoming adversity, but 34,999 other people did exactly the same thing – what makes his tale so special? Well, it would be humour except, sadly, there are next to no jokes. He attempts to construct a callback, but it's difficult to keep the audience on your side when talking about putting vaseline on your haemorrhoids. He attempts some punchlines, but they fizzle out due to, well, not being that funny.  

Undobtedly, it's great that his emotional and physiological problems have been solved through running the marathon. But without any humour, do we really care? It feels like watching someone sitting in a pub telling anyone who will listen how he triumphed against the odds. You leave wishing there'd have been just one killer gag to lift it above sheer boredom – but it never comes.

Instead, you leave glad such a nice chap has managed to continue to perform after 12 years on the circuit (a fact that he, inadvisably, brings up a few times), but also irritated at having wasted an hour of your time. If it's comedy you're after, this should be avoided.