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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Pam Ann's Mile-High Club

Caroline Reid

Channel 4 · 2002 · 30 min

Caroline Reid performs as a glamorous, deeply cynical flight attendant.

Caroline Reid builds her entire act around the miseries of air travel, filtered through an aggressive alter ego. Dressed in pristine white gloves and heavy makeup, Pam Ann acts as a cynical stewardess longing for the glamorous era of 1960s jet-setting. The comedy relies on detailed references to international carriers, contrasting the lost luxury of mid-century flights with the cheap reality of modern airlines. Reid plays the character with a sharp edge, insulting passengers and mocking the specific quirks of global airline brands.

Aired in December 2002, the performance was part of the fifth season of Comedy Lab, a Channel 4 television series in the UK designed to test out pilots and showcase new talent. Reid had been developing Pam Ann on stage in Australia and the UK since 1996. This thirty-minute television slot helped introduce her campy, blue material to a wider British audience. The exposure laid the groundwork for a dedicated following that later led to international tours and private performances for celebrities like Elton John.

The set list

6 bits

  1. In-flight safety and promotional video

    Intercuts careless and hapless safety demonstrations with harrowing footage of mid-air explosions and plane crashes.

  2. Contempt for economy-class passengers

    Pam mocks passengers in economy who can witness the club-class fun through the curtain but cannot participate while risking deep-vein thrombosis.

  3. Cockpit antics with Captain Rimming

    Reveals the captain's persistent cravings for martinis and oral sex up front at the expense of flight safety.

  4. Serving tea and coffee in heavy turbulence

    A physical routine depicting the perils and clumsiness of cabin service during severe flight turbulence.

  5. Why flight attendants avoid eye contact

    Explains that the trolley controller refuses eye contact because they are busy consuming cocaine in the galley.

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Roller-skating finale to Olivia Newton-John's 'Xanadu' closer

    Dressed in a flowing gown, Pam roller-skates after heavily self-medicating with cocaine.

How it plays

Tone
Cruel, irreverent, sexually vulgar, dark, and biting.
On stage
An aggressive, self-obsessed, and crude air hostess described as a 'bastard daughter of Dame Edna', sporting rock-hard hair, heavy makeup, and a tight uniform while projecting haughty condescension and overt nymphomania.
Pace
Energetic and dynamic, forcefully dictating terms to the room.
About
air travel and cabin crew life, fear of flying and plane crashes, class divides between club and economy class, illicit drug use among flight attendants, promiscuity and cockpit antics

What the critics said

Critical reception was divided: Chortle criticized the routine's cruelty, gay-icon cliches, and depressing cocaine-fueled arc, concluding it 'crashes and burns on landing,' whereas the London Evening Standard highlighted Caroline Reid's Dame Edna-like characterization and observed that its cathartic absurdism effectively defused the terror of flying.

In the room: The studio audience was cast as stooges and passengers, reacting with a mixture of amused acquiescence and nervous, fearful laughter under Pam's direct berating and flirtation.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: thetvdb.com, comedy.co.uk, chortle.co.uk, standard.co.uk, imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.

Backstory

Produced as an episode of Channel 4's 'Comedy Lab' comedy showcase series, structured as a spoof flight to Italy with the studio audience acting as club-class passengers.

Details

Released
Runtime
30 min
Where
Channel 4
Director
Richard Osborne
Topics

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