This Review is from August 2024

Jo starts her show, as she tends to do, by reminding her audience that they’ve arrived at a stand up comedy set, not a piece of theatre. There’s no grand narrative arc and we shouldn’t look for messages, “…just me just talking about myself and stuff that’s happened. If you want to talk about something, you hire a room at the Fridge.” The comedian’s focus in very much on making people laugh, as it should be.

We are presented with the comedian’s funniest routines from her successful 2024 tour, featuring caustic observations, stories and one-liners. Much fun is had at the expense of her Aberdonian husband, Stuart.

Jo was born in north Wales to Irish parents – living most of her life in England and Scotland. Cultural differences between the nations are briefly discussed, there’s probably a whole show here, but the comedian has a lot to say, and we very quickly move on.

This is a gag heavy hour and all the better for it. My favourite story has the comedian in a German hotel room watching free pornography with her husband. I’m not going to spoil any of it here, but the setup is hilarious, the story is hysterical and practically every new sentence has a laugh.

Jo Caulfield is a tremendous writer. She crafts and nurtures jokes. Not a word is wasted. And her delivery is as good as her writing.

Yes, if you’ve seen the comedian on tour this year, you will have heard some of this stuff before. But that’s as advertised. And great gags can endure a second hearing.

Martin Walker

Tickets HERE

Buy Jo’s Book HERE

Reviews of Jo Caulfield Pearls Before Swine collated by the British Comedy Guide HERE

Jo’s Profile HERE