As we left this show the only analogy that came to mind to describe Simon Evans, was that of a journeyman boxer. Not the guy that you throw in the ring as a sacrifice, but that guy that you know is going to give your fighter a test, a proper tune up. The ring craft, the intelligence, the ability to take a punch and rock an opponent with the return is all there, they’ll never be world champ, but my god is this a guy that you want to be sparring with. That, without all the blood, violence, and intense physical training, is Simon Evans.

We first saw Simon Evans in the early 2000’s at the Comedy Store in London, he was on a mixed bill but truly stood out and had a joke about how he’d rather have his death reported as having had a short battle with a lion rather than a long battle with cancer, it just sounds better. I remember this joke because one of my pals uses it regularly to this day! (Ed. Simon kindly got in touch to let us know that is was actually a Tiger!)

Since that night Simon has gone on to write for TV shows like ‘Not Going Out’, ‘8 out of 10 Cats’, and ‘They Think it’s all Over’ and regular appears on TV and Radio. It’s an incredible comedy CV, one that is well deserved, and yet he somehow isn’t a household name. 

“Have We Met?” is framed as an examination of the comic’s diminishing memory in his mid-50s – supported by concrete data in the form of graphs, he substantiates his claim that his short-term memory has significantly declined, openly acknowledging the growing challenge of connecting names with faces.

There are, at times, an element of punching down in his material but it resonated with the older audience that we saw in attendance, and I guess you must play to your crowd. This was a portrait of professional comedy, for a man claiming to have issues with memory he easily performs an hour of material in an almost punch clock fashion. The laughs are regular, no showstoppers but, conversely, I only remember one gag slightly missing its mark.

If you like any of the work that this clown has done on TV or Radio then this is for you, and according to Twitter this show will now be scything its way through middle England – thesimonevans.com/2023-tour-dates/  

Clown Stars * * * *

@Assembly Rooms – Bijou, Edinburgh