I was recently listening to a fascinating in-depth interview with Adam Riches on the Comedian's Comedian podcast, in which he talked about how he fitted into the comedy firmament. Or rather didn't fit in.

 

Even though Riches is a past winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show he doesn't play the circuit and occupies a strange liminal space between character comedy, sketch comedy and, I dunno? immersive performance art? Which might go some way towards explaing why, as he jokes mock-bitterly early on in his latest show, why we don't see much of him on TV.

 

In fact compared to previous outings The !2 Beans of Christmas is pretty accessible. But I do wonder whether TV is quite ready to see a comedian impersonating a trebuchet, except with a grape and squirty cream in his mouth rather than a cannonball. It's very much, shall we say, a live experience. Words can't convey the madness. You have to be there.

 

The basic premise is, as the title suggests, Riches as a monstrous cartoon version of a monstrously medieval Bean overseeing a battle between two halves of the audience, the Seans and the Beans. Buttocks collectively clench as audience members, and not just those in the front row, realise that they might have to take part in the show. Here's a quick hack. Why not volunteer. Comics never pick volunteers because they tend to be show-offs. But maybe Riches will buck that theory...

 

It's a fast paced, messy in all sorts of senses, game show then with an element of Taskmaster to the challenges. Ponchos and helmets are donned for the damper tasks while singing is mandatory, with loser staying on for more gentle humiliation. 

 

It's all chaotic fun, particularly when Riches drops his notes down a crack in the stage and has to improvise. Needless to say after some hesitation when he looks scared scriptless, he pulls this off.

 

The result is a show that barely pauses for breath, but never quite makes a lot of sense. I don't really want to give away too much, but it would be wonderful if Bean could be coaxed along (apparently Michael Ball and Alfie Boe came to the Ball/Boe show that Riches did with John Kearns last year). Did I mention that Riches arrives onstage riding an alligator (?) almost but not quite Bernie Clifton style? That's what it looked like anyway from the back where I was hiding for safety.

 

I wondered how Riches was going to squeeze in 12 Beans in a 60 minute set, but actually it came in at around 50 minutes and I'd have been quite happy with ten more minutes of this lunacy. Instead it all ended with a seasonal singalong while our host headed snowballs and caught grapes in his mouth during a tour de force finale. Then we all unclenched out buttocks and went home much happier than we were when we arrived.