Pub Night Out with your funniest friend - Iain Stirling
Iain Stirling at Warwick Arts Centre, Sunday 2 March 2025.
Review by Annette Kinsella.
The henpecked husband and overbearing wife is a well-trodden path in comedy. From saucy seaside postcards to beleaguered Basil Fawlty squirming under the watchful gaze of domineering spouse Sybil, writers have been using this power balance to elicit giggles for decades, if not centuries. However the trope was given a sparkling fresh 21st century perspective by comic Iain Stirling in his new show Relevant at Warwick Arts Centre this week.
Stirling – better known as the voiceover of ITV reality show Love Island – is married to presenter Laura Whitmore, who he freely admits is more successful and recognisable than him. Whitmore is alpha female to his beta male, effortlessly attracting invitations to star-studded events to which he is not party. Whitmore, he freely admits, is capable, sociable and organised, while he is…err…less so.
Stirling’s riffs on societal expectations of parents according to gender instantly struck a chord with the audience, with laugh-out-loud moments prompted by anecdotes of a stay-at-home dad praised for the ability to help his baby daughter into her jumper, while a new mother is held to impossible standards, judged for struggling to breastfeed/ returning to work/ staying at home/ posting on social media/ failing to document the early days of motherhood delete as appropriate depending on what is acceptable this week.
Stirling attacks these issues with his trademark quick wit, amazed and bewildered in turn at the public mores placed on parents. His schtick pivots on his status as the weaker link in the marriage, but its is underpinned by real love and respect for his wife’s achievements. There are a couple of awkward moments when he appears to be punching downwards in his commentary, most notably in his take on café culture and modern-day McDonalds clientele. But his self-deprecating manner and genuine skill as a storyteller prevents it from slipping too far into uncomfortable territory.
In conclusion, is this going to win any awards for groundbreaking comedy? Probably not. But if what you’re after is an experience akin to a night out in the pub with your funniest friend, this is for you.
See what else is on at Warwick Arts Centre: https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/
Discover more about Iain Stirling: https://www.iaindoesjokes.com/
That looks absolutely brilliant. Will look out for him in future.