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London PalladiumThe comic revives Avid Merrion, Keith Lemon and others in a scatological set of unimaginative jokesIs he funny, or is his comedy the nadir of western civilisation? Not being a close follower of the storied TV career of Leigh Francis, AKA Keith Lemon, I arrived at his maiden live show an agnostic in this lively critical conversation. Reader, I am agnostic no more. My First Time is not a show for the comedy connoisseur, nor for anyone whose sense of humour occasionally strays above the waistband. Francis’s comic enthusiasms are perhaps best distilled in the words of his Urban Fox alter ego shortly prior to engaging in vulpine sex: “I love a shitty bum bum.”Lest I understate the 50-year-old’s range, I must concede: he also loves a wank joke. The show revives an assortment of characters, usually rubber-masked, from Francis’s small-screen output, from celebrity stalker Avid Merrion, visiting the present day from 2004, via Keith Lemon himself, to Amanda Holden’s supposed gran Myrtle. These personae, like Francis’s celebrity impressions (David Dickinson, Stephen Mulhern, Louis Theroux), variously burp, fart, drink “bin juice” and talk porn. Joe Wicks appears, and shits himself. Dec “bums” Ant with a TV award. James Corden licks Adele’s arsehole. Continue reading...