We went down to a recent
filming of the second series of
the show and caught up with
Patrick Monahan, the stand-up
who has been warming up the
audiences before recording,
and asked him what he
thinks of the new series...

So, have you worked on all
these episodes of this series?
Yeah, I did the last episode of the
last series, and then when this
series was commissioned they
asked if I wanted to do it and I was
like 'Yeah!'

Is it a good crowd who come down?
Definitely - they really love it. It was odd when I started because I came in cold
and didn't know anything about it, but now I've done all of this series and the end
of the first series, I've really got into it, and that's what the audience is like.
They know everything!

Having worked the circuit in comedy clubs I understand why people go to the
clubs, but I never understood why somebody would come and watch a recording
of a show, especially as it sometimes takes four hours or something to finish.
But then when I started here I totally got it, and actually it's a very
funny experience.

It's like watching Only Fools and Horses; I'm a really big fan of Only Fools and
Horses, so imagine being only three feet away from watching David Jason
doing his stuff - how amazing would that be? For these guys this is their
Only Fools and Horses, and filming it in front of a live audience gives them
a chance to see their heroes in action. It's a great show, and the audience
are really into it.

Have you managed to catch up with the last series?
Yeah sort of, the good thing about it is even though it's a new series it's very
topical so you don't need to actually know anything about the last series.

The great thing about this show is the characters are so unique and well
written. They have a little bit of a back story but you don't need to know that
much about it because they are so quirky and different and so extreme you pick it
up quickly. Within five minutes you think 'okay, I know what he's like, he does that
and she's a bit like that', so you don't really have to watch the episode before to
know what's going on. At times it's like watching a really brilliant sketch
show rather than a sitcom.