Finding jokers in a celebrity pack
STAND UP & DELIVER Channel 4, 9pm STANDING on a stage ready to perform a comedy routine is – for most of us – the stuff of nightmares.
But in this Stand Up 2 Cancer special, five celebrities have taken on this terrifying task and will hone a five-minute routine to perform for a comedy-hungry crowd. They have just two weeks to prepare, but fortunately each has a top comedian to mentor them. David Baddiel coaches broadcaster and ex-Communard Rev Richard Coles, Jason Manford is paired with Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder, Nick Helm guides Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Judi Love drills Love Island star and dancer Curtis Pritchard and Zoe Lyons champions former Corrie actor Katie McGlynn. “I’m just going to do what I do... wing it,” says Shaun, who wonders if he actually is funnier than Jason. Curtis is also full of confidence but Judi smirks: “It’s going to be the longest five minutes he’s ever had in his life.” The celebs are thrown in at the deep end. Their mentors send them straight on to a stage for a couple of minutes to assess their natural comedic talent. Whether or not any of them actually have any is another matter. There are mind blanks, struggles without a script and in one case, a performance so cringey you’ll have your hands covering your face in horror. Can they overhaul their acts in just 15 days? Can David persuade a vicar to swear? Can Jason convince Shaun not to wing it? Will a baroness wear fancy dress? Whether they are funny or not, there will be laughter...