Gloriously sick routines

Before he drilled his way into the heart of the comedy business Jimmy Carr worked in the oil industry. Some of his past has clearly stuck, because he is still oleaginous and crude. His Carling Apollo gig last night was fuelled with non-PC gags, but this doughyfaced patter merchant has the slickness that allows him to get away with the cruellest of barbs.

Things started off sedately, with a self-mocking silent powerpoint presentation explaining his formula ("feedline + punchline = laughs") before the besuited star entered, resembling a manager about to host a marketing conference. Even his first gag - "Swimming is good for you ... especially if you are drowning," - did not really vault the taste barrier.

This, however, was a rarity. For the next two hours Carr hurtled effortlessly through a checklist of no-go areas du jour, from chav culture to religion via Aids and Stephen Hawking. The unprintable pay-offs raised guilty laughs at every turn.

He is certainly in tune with the times. On one side Carr's apolitical cynicism chimes with Ricky Gervais's irreverence, on the other there is a near-infantile obsession with physicality, particularly obesity, which he shares with Little Britain.

The bizarre thing is that as the evening progressed, the gloriously sick quick-hit routines became almost too relentless, threatening to diminish their potency. Innocuous asides such as "I had a survey done on my house ... eight out of 10 people rather liked it," actually lingered longer in the mind.

If Carr was not an expert craftsman his darker material would be truly unpleasant, even dangerous. But this is razor-sharp wit polished to near-perfection. Imagine Bob Monkhouse's brutal efficiency with the dial turned up to 11. Like the equally unctuous late joker, Carr is not the warmest of comedians, but there is no denying him his current position as one of the hottest.

Jimmy Carr - Public Display Of Affection