‘Wow, Worthing, you’re wild,’ says Britain’s Got Talent winner, Vigo Venn.
He’s joined on stage by an unwed couple, let’s call them Dave and Debbie, who are about to become united in a newly married throuple with this nutty Norwegian clown. They look about as delighted as you may expect; which is, not-at-all.
A shame, because if you lean that way, Venn soon demonstrates that he’d be very fun at parties. He’s a bit like a small, overexcited child, or a large, oversexed teenager – both of whom can’t be left unsupervised, for very different reasons. Look away for a moment, and within seconds, Venn has mounted an audience member, thieved their glasses or instigated a cowboy-style guns at high noon shoot-off. He’s fallen off the stage. He’s dribbled water on your friend. He’s grabbed your arm and sprinted to the other side of the audience while you cling on madly for the ride. All done with the utmost innocence and glee.
If you’d like to hang onto your mobile phone, video Venn at your peril. The delight he takes in being a prankster is just pure joy to watch. He has an almost unshakeable energy – from doing laps round the audience, to impersonating their cars. It would be cruel to spoil one of the best things in the show, but, in a more English fashion – this is a show called British Comedian, after all – please can you remind us: your name is what, exactly? It’s truly infectious tomfoolery.
Venn is the embodiment of an important lesson for other artists – sometimes you don’t need much to be incredibly funny. Keeping it simple wins the race. Each time he whips off another high-vis vest, for just ‘one more time’, we could just as easily be watching Kev from the construction site around the corner from your office. But we’re not, it’s Venn, live on stage, and for some inexplicable but undeniable reason, it’s absolutely laugh-your-socks-off funny. Throughout the show, there’s pretty much two songs – one for high-vis high jinks, and another for being saucy. Only two modes for this calamitous clown.
Venn is supported by his sidekick Spooky (Steffen Hånes), the most deliberately understated spook this town ever did see. He immediately gets to grip with the hierarchy of local opinion (‘Is Littlehampton spooky?’). The audience are friendly and take delight in disagreeing with his assessments. They are rewarded with a ‘shut up’ from Hånes, which just makes them even sassier, such is the safe space at play here. It feels a bit like Hanes has some fleshing out to do to really find the bones of this character, but goodness, it’s fun. The best comedy here comes from the way Venn and Hånes bounce off each other – in a non-literal sense (you have to clarify with clowns, you see).
Amidst the daftness, there’s several things about British Comedian that are truly touching. The audience interaction is substantial, and Venn deliberately issues a cheeky warning on this in the last quarter of the show, when the ship has already very much sailed. In one moment, a grandfather is invited to join Venn in his high-vis antics. His teenage grandson sits in the audience absolutely beaming with pride, videoing his grandpop prancing atop the stage. The pair have a patch in the audience all of their own, and it’s really lovely to see multiple generations enjoying the madness together.
The second really sentimental thing about this show is just how many people have turned up to see their hero wearing their own version of his signature high-vis jacket. As we leave, it seems like almost every single person watching has joined the queue for the meet and greet; a queue that soon snakes around the venue. And who can blame them? Venn is the everyman, the buffoon, a friend to all. This show is fun for all the family, and when we choose that oft-overused phrase, we really mean it.
Just a day after the two-year anniversary of his big Britain’s Got Talent win. Venn elaborates on how neither he, nor the producers of the top telly show, were expecting that he would reach the finals. It feels like he’s talking among friends. It’s quite an intimate crowd tonight.
Since Worthing Theatres and Museum became its own charitable trust in 2019, stepping away from the oversight of the local council, they’ve really been able to experiment. With a summer of circus, alternative theatre and comedy shows ahead, it’s nice to see them taking exciting risks with their programming. Worthing has been up-and-coming for such a long time, the local arts and culture scene is thriving, and the inclusion of Venn in their late spring line-up is no exception.
This reviewer and her companion are both suffering from a slight case of the pervading grumps on the day of the show. It is unseasonably grey weather, and the endless drizzle descending upon the seafront, home of Worthing’s scenic Pavilion Theatre – the best views in the biz – could have dampened proceedings. But never fear, Viggo Venn: British Comedian offers a guaranteed cure for the glum and the grey days. High-vis hilarity from a clown with truly universal appeal.
Reviewed on 5 June 2025.
