Stephen Merchant Hello Ladies 

A full year after its release in the UK, Stephen Merchant’s first solo comedy show is finally available on DVD Down Under. 

Merchant, best-known as co-creator of such comedy dynamite as The Office, Extras and the Guinness Record-breaking Ricky Gervais Show series of podcasts, has frequently drawn on his lack of luck with the opposite sex in previous comedic outings.  Stepping out from the sizable shadow of his creative partner, Steve’s new(ish) show finds him once more bemoaning his lanky 6’7” stature and a lifetime of resultant awkwardness, detailing his fledgling attempts at a comedy career, bemoaning a distinct lack of success when it comes to press coverage and, yes, describing a certain lack of Bond-esque panache when it comes to the ladies. 

His trademark self-deprecation never feels forced - this is a man who really has, by his own admission, been decidedly unlucky in love for the best part of his life.  Far from a Daniel Kitson style tale of unrelenting woe, however, his show is an amalgam of jokes, stories and improvised audience interaction, veering from sincere to mock egoistic to determinedly wry with equal aplomb.  The result is far funnier than any of Gervais’ recent stand-up efforts, and as Gervais solo projects like Science and The Invention of Lying continue to tank, Hello Ladies goes some way towards proving what many fans have long suspected; that Merchant is, in fact, the driving comedic force behind the feted comedy duo, and a sizable talent in more ways than one. 

Bonus Features

Going Back to Stand-up, a 20-minute Featurette that incorporates interview and previously unseen stand-up footage of Steve, and an MP3 Audio File of the show.  Both are extremely nice touches.