Marcus Brigstocke at Lichfield Garrick

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Having previously worked as an oil rig worker and a podium dancer, stand-up comedy should be something of a doddle for Marcus Brigstocke.

And so it proved at the Lichfield Garrick theatre when he delivered his often hilarious 'Je M'Accuse' - I Am Marcus - stand-up show as part of this year's Lichfield Festival, which ended on July 12.



The award-winning comedian warms up for his act by delivering a topical aperitif to the main course, in particular with references to the Greek debt crisis - "you can't run an economy on yoghurt and hope".

He then really gets going while also maintaining certain threads throughout the two-hour show, including his disdain of UKIP and his posh upbringing which resulted in him being sent to boarding school at the age of seven.

Marcus, who has been a regular on BBC Radio 4 and also done the rounds of hit comedy shows on television, also displays his talent for accents at regular periods from Jamaican patois and Japanese to a very convincing Nigerian and Australian teenage girl.



He particularly excelled when describing an apparently real incident when a 'street youth' was dared into going into an Indian restaurant called Gaylord in London - with hilarious consequences.

Marcus is also not shy in revealing much of his often dark personal life, including his teenage years as a massively overweight Goth who took to sniffing glue and drinking to excess.

He also reveals that he is single again after 20 years, and that he worries about health issues now he has turned 40, which led to an extremely funny tale about having an intimate medical examination from a doctor who was also a friend.



But the best was saved till last when Marcus, who came on for the second half in his Goth attire including a large, black, spiky wig, demonstrated his podium dancing style - and what a lovely mover he is.

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