Review: My Dad Wrote a Porno, Colston Hall

The smash-hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno has become a comedy phenomenon of unprecedented proportions. Though the art of podcasting is still young, the series has received over 100 million downloads, its word-of-mouth popularity most commonly represented by the sight of headphone-clad strangers bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter in public.

Seeking to capitalise on the podcast’s success, co-hosts Jamie Morton, Alice Levine and James Cooper have devised a brand new live show, as part of an international tour that began last night at Colston Hall in Bristol.

For the uninitiated, the premise of My Dad Wrote a Porno is simple – Jamie Morton’s father has unexpectedly started writing graphic erotic novels (the Belinda Blinked series) under the pen name ‘Rocky Flintstone’, so naturally the only response is for Jamie to read the books aloud to best friends Alice and James.

Rocky’s writing is so entertaining that hearing the three of them react to and make fun of the books is enough for hours of enjoyment. The podcast owes much to the chemistry between Jamie, Alice and James, which translates flawlessly onto the stage for this live show.

The show will certainly not disappoint fans of the podcast. Presenting a ‘lost chapter’ of the first book deemed too bad for publication even by Rocky’s standards, the familiar structure is intact, right down to the musical cues and amusing asides. Though some of the improvisation and spontaneity has been understandably lost in translation to the lengthy tour run, it’s more than made up by fun audience interaction and new visual gags. Highlights of the show include a slideshow lecture on the female anatomy and a memorable re-enactment of a particularly confusing paragraph.

Rocky’s writing is full of the usual craziness. The chapter is set on a work team-building trip organised by protagonist Belinda for her now-iconic group of regional sales managers. Encouraged by Jamie, Alice and James to engage with the rules of the podcast’s drinking game, the audience cheered as past characters and jokes popped up, and were just as audibly shocked and grossed-out by the chapter’s hilariously disgusting climax. It’s packed with memorable moments – unnecessary carpet detail, an inexplicable game of dice, and the trademark least erotic erotic literature you’ll ever hear.

Pic: Royal Albert Hall

The trio have clearly put an immense amount of work into putting together a show that can run across multiple performances of the same material without losing the podcast’s magic. It runs at a very substantial length, and that’s especially impressive given that they’re filling two to three times as much as each prior episode. This is the feature length version of My Dad Wrote a Porno and an essential part of the Belinda Blinked mythology that has been slowly and messily built up across the first three books.

Most importantly, though, this live show will both delight fans and make new converts. With a fourth series coming out later this year, the phenomenon is showing no signs of slowing down quite yet, and the price of the ticket is well worth the trip for anyone who’s enjoyed past instalments of the hysterically funny Belinda Blinked.

My Dad Wrote a Porno played Colston Hall on Mon, Apr 16 and now tours nationwide. For more info and tour dates, visit www.mydadwroteaporno.com

Read more: “Bad sex writing is just really funny to dissect”