Comedy news: Sheeps: A sketch show, Edinburgh Fringe 2011 review

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Sheeps may be one of the newer sketch shows at the Fringe, but they have a comedy heritage which would be the envy of any new sketch act. The trio, who consist of Liam Williams, Daran Johnson and Alastair Roberts, have comedy pedigree which between them includes the Cambridge Footlights, finishing runner-up at the So You Think You're Funny awards, as well as a deluge of writing credits to their name.

With Sheeps the trio have concocted an hour of material which delves into the consequences of drinking too much coffee, the droll answers footballers use in interviews as well as the woman who inspired Abba with her songs about ghosts in her attic.

However, the one problem Sheeps suffer from is that though they have the potential to produce moments of good sketch comedy, they don't have enough yet to fill an hour of material. As the show went on it felt that they have rushed into producing a longer show than they could handle.

The result is a mix which includes some flashes of brilliance set within sketches which are simply not at the same level. Some simply went on too long, I guessed the ending ones which were too predictable, and a few seemed to resort to shouting to get a laugh. 

The black-eyed-peas sketch didn't really contain anything funny, while another series of sketches, which saw one of the trio inherit millions and leave the group only to return later, didn't offer much either.

Sheeps also referenced themselves within the show far too often. By mentioning repeatedly how they are in a sketch show they make you self-aware of what you're watching. This is fine once, but not more than that, and is indicative of the kind of material which really should be dropped. It may sound a harsh criticism but it underlined the fact that they were looked new, keen, but not far out of drama class.

It is evident that Sheeps have the raw talent to become one of the stalwarts of the new sketch generation, however that will take time. At the moment, and with so much good sketch comedy already at the Fringe, it's difficult to see them stand out from the flock.

Tim Clark

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