Live at the Apollo

Dara Ó Briain’s quick-thinking crowd work and high-energy pacing are already fully formed in this half-hour showcase, particularly when he chats with a group of students in the front row. Rather than sticking to a highly structured monologue, he uses these interactions to spring into broader riffs about cultural differences, from the quirks of English-Irish relations to the absurdities of Australian wildlife. His bit about the absolute laziness of koala bears—and his subsequent improvisation of a koala working as a phone sex operator—delivers some of the biggest laughs of the set.

Filmed in 2005 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, this performance caught Ó Briain right as his UK television career was taking off, having just begun his long run hosting the panel show Mock the Week. It was broadcast as the second episode of the second series of Jack Dee Live at the Apollo, before the show dropped Dee’s name from the title.

As the host, Jack Dee sets a dry, misanthropic tone for the evening, using his opening slot to target yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur, mock the recent 2012 London Olympic bid announcement, and gently needle celebrity audience members Tracey Emin and Jayne Middlemiss. When Ó Briain takes over, the mood shifts to a much more frenetic style. He handles a variety of themes, including English-Irish tensions, mixed marriages, and the specific annoyance of dealing with overly confident doctors on safari.