Paddy Young, a recent standout performer on Saturday Night Live UK, is currently experiencing a period of significant professional success. Despite these career milestones, the 35-year-old comedian centers his new show, Will Sir Be Laughing Alone?, on a more somber personal reality. Describing himself as the worst plus-one to bring to any party, Young reflects on the circular nature of his domestic life and his status as a perma-bachelor who watches his housemates move on to more mature, committed lives.
While the premise might suggest a bleak performance, Young prevents the show from becoming overly morose through his willingness to embrace his own enfeeblement. He finds humor in the small victories of his situation, such as noting his own flourishing hair in contrast to his flatmate’s thinning hairline. This ability to find comedy in being a self-described loser is bolstered by his stand-up proficiency, including skilled crowd-work that keeps the momentum going.
The contrast between his professional success and his personal life is highlighted by the presence of fans wearing DIY Paddy Young merchandise in the audience. Although he acknowledges that his Saturday nights may be professionally live, his daily life remains defined by vicarious experiences through his housemates and past relationships. The show leaves audiences hopeful for more of Young’s twinkling, morose comedy, as he continues to navigate the balance between his growing public adulation and his luckless private life.
Certainly, Young’s downbeat sense of self pre-empts much comic momentum.
Consolation is to be found in the Scarborough man’s evident relish for his own enfeeblement, and a strain of triumphalism at the small victories (his flatmate’s baldness versus Paddy’s flourishing head of hair, say) afforded even to those who lose at the lottery of life.
