Rich Hall, Birmingham Town Hall - review

The American performed for one night only to an almost packed-out Birmingham Town Hall on Thursday night, celebrating his new show Rich Hall’s Hoedown.

He didn’t just stop at stand-up - while the first half of the night offered jokes centered around his dislike for Trump, the NHS vs US health care, and injuries caused by tiny Lego blocks; the second half was filled with hand-clapping, foot-stomping country music.

Donning his trademark stetson for the duration of the show, funny man Rich captivated his crowd - often diving into the audience to poke fun at unsuspecting fans.

Married to a Brit, the 64-year-old spoke of his love for England, despite also keeping a home address in Montana, USA.

He had fun comparing the two countries, complaining that in the US restaurants menus ‘the size of mattresses’ were handed out, and everything was always ‘breaded, deep fried, and covered in cheese’.

While in the UK, he said he could never understand the geography; joking that his trip between Northampton and Southampton was the ‘longest cab ride’ he’d ever experienced.

He shared his frustration at the toys his now four-year-old son plays with - tiny Lego blocks - and dove into a tale about how accidentally stepping on one caused him to trap a nerve in his eyelid.

A trip to America and a £10,000 medical bill later, he claims he can just about wink again.

Rich Hall has become a big name in our nation - his BBC Four documentaries, most recently Rich Hall’s Countrier Than You and Rich Hall’s Presidential Grudge Match and BBC Radio 4 series Rich Hall’s (US Election) Breakdown have built him a new legion of followers, as have appearances on Have I Got News For You and QI.

It was a night filled with good, hearty laughs.

Rich knew his audience, worked out exactly what they liked, and then gave them plenty of it.