Long ago, established comedian Lawrence Mooney came to the realisation that in order for a man to feel comfortable about laughing at something, he first has to look at the woman that he’s with in order to get permission. It’s a subconscious thing, perhaps left over from more chivalrous days, something we don’t even realise that we’re doing. It was at this point that I looked over to my fiance … and she was laughing. I rightly assumed that I had permission to laugh, and I perhaps overused it!

Lawrence Mooney is theatrical, educated and dramatic throughout his entire performance – to the point where you can almost imagine that you’re watching high-class theatre interspersed with knob gags. He makes the lowbrow seem almost highbrow (take note of that ‘almosts’ in there).

He uses stories of his recent past to recount failures, inviting you to laugh at his mistakes with him, and string along the point that through it all his fiance has been laughing with him, no matter how much he stuffs things up. It is clear throughout the show that Mooney loves her for this, and it’s material that he’s comfortable with, and comes from the heart.

In coming up with a show that appeals to women, Mooney has managed to come up with a show that appeals to everyone. And while that is clearly the intention of every comedian, it takes a skilled one to accomplish it.