Hot Mess

Angela Barnes is at her strongest when she treats her audience like confidantes rather than hitting well-worn observational targets. Ostensibly about her adult ADHD diagnosis, the hour immediately gets distracted by the chaos of her personal life. What follows is a fast-paced, chatty sequence of stories covering late-in-life marriage, pandemic hobbies, and the absolute absurdity of shopping for a wedding dress in your mid-forties.\n\nRecorded on April 25, 2023, at the Komedia in Brighton, the special shows off the conversational energy that made Barnes a staple on UK panel shows like Mock the Week. There is a sharper edge underneath the cozy, wine-with-friends atmosphere. Barnes points her frustration directly at the UK government’s lockdown hypocrisy, but the real emotional anchor is far more intimate. Much of the hour is dedicated to her late friend and fellow comedian Phil Jerrod, who died of cancer in 2021. Barnes builds toward a poignant finale that reflects on a bizarrely coincidental day when a major personal tragedy and a moment of immense joy occurred at the exact same time. Directed by Carlos Rodriguez Laiz and produced by NextUp Comedy, the special debuted on ITVX in early 2024.