Review: Jerry Sadowitz ****

Jerry Sadowitz is a man who believes that no subject is off-limits when it comes to comedy.

The Haitian earthquake, British troops in Afghanistan and even Stephen Fry, yes our very own national treasure, is given the Sadowitz treatment.

It’s been a while since he’s been on TV and even longer since he’s been on a UK tour – two decades in fact – and it’s not hard to see why. Sadowitz is an acquired taste, the stalls were barely half full and his propensity to offend makes broadcasters nervous.

He knows it, but he also knows that he’s an antidote to the kind of comedians he says make gags about toasters. He means of course Michael McIntyre.

An hour or so in Sadowitz’s company is exhausting, but it’s also refreshingly irreverent. It’s not a routine as such, more a rant and one delivered at break-neck speed.

There are a couple of lame magic tricks thrown in for good measure and while there are times when he sounds a little desperate to offend – his act, much like his hair could do with a little taming – his tirades are as piercing as they ever were. Sadowitz is unlikely ever to be back on mainstream TV, so see him live, just don’t leave your sense of irony at home.