This show was sold to me as a satirical look at the news that attempts to be a little bit absurd. It turned out to be a delightful romp through the minds of two talented sketch comedians, Sam Knights and Jack Needham. The news theme was shown apparent as the stage was strewn with newspapers. However, the two performers took the word ‘news’ loosely but it worked well for this light meta-comedy, perfect for taking your mind off impending exams.

The show is quite aptly structured around the sections of a newspaper. This works really well in shaking up the pace as well as the variety in the sketches offered. There really is variety, more than you would think possible from the theme of news; from a spot-on impression of the relationship between George Osborne and David Cameron (or so I like to think), to the daily troubles of a lolly pop lady. They added to this structure by creating a metanarrative for the duo in-between sketches, helping to creating a classic straight-man/funny-man dynamic between the two writers-cum-performers. This dynamic is reflected in a lot of the sketches as well as the narrative. The relationship between the two worked in creating really good comedic energy and chemistry, as well as a few ‘awe’ moments for the audience.

The use of a well-timed PowerPoint really added to the production. It was used for a few of the gags and for introducing each newspaper section, which helped introduce some context. It was also used for a large change of direction with some audience participation. Getting someone onto the stage was as awkward as it can sometimes be. In the opening night performance, they managed to maintain their characters throughout, making for a charming interaction. They also directly addressed the audience throughout through their two personas. This created a warm relationship between them and their audience, making those self-deprecating jokes that little bit funnier.

Although Knights and Needham were able to keep the audience laughing throughout, there were a few sketches that fell a bit flat. There were also a some moments when the energy and pace dropped slightly. However, this may have only been because there was a smaller audience. Overall, this was a really fun show and very enjoyable to watch. They managed to create some satirical and some surreal elements - but it primarily remained a silly perspective on what the world could be. So if you would like to hear the deep thoughts of someone’s trouser pocket, or Donald Trump attempting to name his Muslim friends, I would really recommend heading down to the Corpus Playroom.