COMEDY REVIEW: Andy Zaltzman: The Bugle @ The Stand, Newcastle (08.10.19)

The Stand is packed, the sound of chatter, beer, beards and glasses buzzing off the red rustic iron pillars as the crowd eagerly await the live recording of The Bugle Podcast, issue 4025. Created by John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman in 2007 the satirical news podcast delivers irony, frolic and data in equal measure.

The lights dim and you can see his hair in the distance; a tall fuzzy orange tower striding through the crowd under the purple lights. Within seconds Andy has the room in the palm of his hand, heckling producer Chris, a firm fixture of the podcast, before introducing his wonderful Australian co-host Alice Fraser.

The audience is treated to ridiculous and entertaining news bites on Brexit, Boris, Uber helicopters and customisable car horns. Fraser’s delivery is captivating, landing her punch lines every time with surreptitious asides into the mic, while Zaltzman whips factual news into delightful, fantastical nonsense, leaving you questioning what was real and what was not. 

Ending with a Q&A where one question falls flat, Alice quips, “I do like it when members of the audience come out and try to be funny because it proves how hard it actually is.”