Lee Nelson, Live at the Civic, Brierley Hill Civic Hall - review

He brings household names from the world of stand up directly to your doorstep.

It's no mean feat either. The Black Country is blessed to have entertainment such as Live at the Civic, in Brierley Hill, Fitz of Laughter at Katie Fitzgerald's in Stourbridge, and Comedy at the Courthouse, in Dudley Town Hall – all organised by Beese.

It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to supply stars from the likes of Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Eight of Ten Cats Does Countdown or any of the numerous comedy programmes on national TV.

Having known Beese for a good few years now – he was actually my chief reporter when based in Ketley, Telford – it's great to see someone coming up with a grand idea and actually following through with it.

He always liked comedy and had that nagging thought in the back of his mind, like a lot of us do, wondering what it would actually be like to try stand up.

Honing

The big difference is this – rather than waking up the next day, usually after a few beers, and putting it to the back of mind, Beese actually went through with it – and has made a huge success out of it too.

He hit the road, put the miles in up down the UK while honing his craft, and eventually realised his calling was to compere his own comedy nights right in his home town.

The Dudley-born comic is funny. He doesn't have a script, he just works with the crowd, feeding off their stories which are usually worth their weight in gold alone when it comes to tales from a Black Country local.

"Childhood sweethearts? Before you start getting too happy for them we need to do a bit more digging here – he could've been the caretaker for all we know."

That was his line after a couple talked about falling in love at school. It's that sort of humour. Close to below the bone, which is what good comedy is all about. It makes you think, occasionally wince and but, most importantly, laugh out load.

Beese then gave way to the three acts, who were all brilliant and produced very different styles of stand up.

John Robertson, the brilliantly-manic Australian, had a set that was also completely improvised.

If the audience was hoping to be eased into the evening slowly, they were quickly given a rude awakening.

He was 100mph from the off and wandered into the crowd, to both scare and thrill the audience in equal measure. Everyone was fair game, whether they liked it or not.

Next up was Dane Baptiste. His humour is also very dry. It had a lovely flow and was in complete contrast to Robertson.

He waits for the crowd to respond to his humour. Sometimes it take a while for the penny to drop but when it does, it's funny.

He can be quite political too, as his tour GOD – which stands for Gold, Oil, Drugs – relates too.

Baptiste is not afraid to address racial issues either. And rightly so because, as he has put it so many times in the past, if we lived in an equal society, he would not have to do stand up.

His comedy, while focussing on modern-day issues, is somehow also very refreshing. It's that British take on the most bizarre situations we find ourselves facing on a daily basis.

You can only laugh. And it helps when someone like Baptiste is pulling the strings.

Then it was time for the headline act. "Lee Nelson is one of the most recognisable and highly-sought after acts in the country, so we feel it’s a real coup to be able to bring him to the Civic and an indication we’re building a good reputation on the circuit," said Beese, during the build up to Saturday night's show.

Clever

And he wasn't wrong either. The Nelson of old seems have gone. He still has that cheeky-chappie-style of comedy, and there's also plenty of interaction with the audience and quick wit.

He is remarkably clever comic. To play a chav with a sense of humour, taking the mickey out of himself – but mocking those around him even more severely – takes a lot of skill.

You're laughing at him, but he's laughing at you even more.

He's toned it down a bit these days and lets his comedy, rather than his act, lead his show. Personally, I think it makes for better a performance.

His character isn't everyone's cup of tea, but perhaps the reason I like him is because I can relate to being a bit of a chav.

It's something that never leaves you and it also makes mocking the world around you all the easier. If you can laugh at yourself, you can laugh at others too.

I think that was the message behind pretty much all the top comics who graced the Civic Hall on Saturday night. And they all played their part in making it another great night too.

To find out more about Beese's comedy nights, go to funnybeeseness.co.uk