Christ on a bike – he’s back!

Review of Richard Herring: Christ on a Bike – the Second Coming at the Edinburgh Fringe

Richard Herring, the sweet, naïve one from 90s comedy stalwarts Lee and Herring, returns to the Fringe with a reworking of his favourite solo show. Discussing life as an atheist with a Jesus obsession, Herring picks apart the more ludicrous elements of the “Greatest Story Ever Told” without anyone being offended enough to walk out; a rare example of charm in an era of shock comedians.

But there is no denying there are ludicrous elements to the Jesus story; none more so than the passages Herring focuses on for much of the second part of his show, a childish, yet hilarious, review of some of the names of Jesus’ supposed descendants. A list that includes the wonderfully named Booz, who Matthew thought needed to be named Booz of Rachab, “so people didn’t confuse him with the other Booz” - good call.

Herring’s knack for the verbal tangent is as strong as in the days when he and comedy partner Stewart Lee had their own TV series, stories meandering away from their initial subject taking the audience on a strange new journey every night. Not all of these diversions are a complete success, but enough hit the mark to keep the punters laughing through the weaker sections.

Herring has tackled a variety of controversial subjects in his Edinburgh solo shows over the years, including one about the reactions he faced when he grew a Hitler moustache, but despite the subject matter this rarely feels like a risky topic. Herring shows respect to those in the audience who, through a show of hands, admit to believing in Jesus as the son of God and even manages a warm, fuzzy ending that had me leaving the venue not only amused, but with a happy smile too.

There are enough changes from Herring’s original Christ on a Bike show to tempt those who feel they may have seen everything before, though the structure and concept is essentially the same. A show that’s definitely worth a “Second Coming”.