Jan Jack’s Laughter-House
Red Lion Hotel, Basingstoke

A COMPLIMENTARY glass of bubbly was a fitting way to start Jan Jack’s latest Laughter-House. But then marking three years of comedy is worth a tipple or two.

Unfortunately for regulars at the Basingstoke comedy fixture, the inimitable Danny Dawes was unable to compere the night, but Phil Dinsdale, Jan’s trusty compere at her Salisbury Club, made a worthy substitute.

Tiernan Douieb kicked off the night’s revelry using the old excuse of having too much time on his hands to muse on politics, road rage and red bulls.

The diminutive comic had some great material but did have to work that bit harder for his laughs than his fellow comedians, in the fight to win over a largely “dry” audience.

After a beer break, Jack herself took to the stage, very warmly received by her faithful crowd. She even gave them the choice of which poem to recite – the contents of which cannot be printed in a family newspaper – and has really perfected her delivery, with lots of crowd interaction as she rhymes.

Next up, a floppy-haired Alex Maple gave an energetic set – lamenting the disappointment caused by shop names such as Superdrug and Virgin Megastore – followed by a completely opposite style of comedy with Jim Grant.

The Eastbourne comic’s jokes rely on an energy-less monotone delivery, which is very effective.

But the award for the best performance of the night goes wholeheartedly to Gordon Southern, who had the audience in stitches, and deserved much praise for his handling of a front-row heckler who had perhaps had too much of the aforementioned bubbly.

Here’s to the next three years of laughter.