We love comedy here in the UK – as a stereotypically serious nation, those amongst us that can break through the noise of day-to-day life by giving us something to laugh about are often elevated to national treasure status, and while some rely on scripted jokes and pre-planned routines, many of our comics are seemingly just very funny people by nature.
So when I heard about the Japanese game show LOL:Last One Laughing getting a UK version, courtesy of Prime Video, I knew we’d be in for a good time. The show is a bit like Live at the Apollo meets Big Brother, with a dash of The Hunger Games in there for good measure – 10 of Britain’s best comedians are locked in a room for six hours and banned from laughing or even cracking a full smile.
The series condenses this into six half-hour episodes, so it strikes a nice balance between real-time suspense and moving at pace. Each contestant gets one chance to laugh with a football-style card system, and the last one to laugh wins a gaudy plastic trophy – it’s all very classy.
That’d be difficult enough for any group of people, but for the cast Amazon has assembled it’s a pretty mammoth task. Alongside legends like Richard Ayoade and Sara Pascoe are TV staples like Judi Love and Daisy May Cooper – the full cast also includes Lou Sanders, Joe Lycett, Joe Wilkinson, Harriet Kemsley, Bob Mortimer, and Rob Beckett.
Moderating (and instigating) throughout are Jimmy Carr and Roisin Conaty, who issue the cast with prompts and commands to keep things reasonably chaotic and entirely not safe for work.
As well as conversation starters and guest performers, each cast member can be compelled to play their ‘joker’, a unique performance lasting several minutes – I’d be remiss to spoil any of them, but they are unfailingly ridiculous and pose the biggest challenge for both our cast and anyone playing along at home.
Taking the challenge
That’s exactly what me and my family (of adults – again, this isn’t for kids) did for the show’s first three episodes – and after valiantly trying to hold it together through the Judi Love’s straight-faced flirting with Richard Ayoade, and Lou Sanders needling Joe Wilkinson with nonsense rhyming slang, I can confidently say Last One Laughing UK is the funniest show I’ve ever seen.
As someone who grew up watching Shooting Stars on BBC Two, I’ve got a weakness for this kind of off-the-cuff absurdism. I’m not exaggerating when I say a certain joker sequence made me laugh harder than I ever have before, the kind of paralyzing, breathless howling that leaves you completely catatonic for a few minutes while you try to piece together exactly what’s going on.
And sticking with Shooting Stars, Last One Laughing UK confirms the theory that Bob Mortimer is like some kind of comedic weapon of mass destruction. His impish poise and disarming aura make him completely intolerable to most of the cast through the first episode – I nearly broke at him asking, with totally misplaced sincerity, whether Rob Beckett had a kitchen island in his house. I may be biased, but a fair bit of my viewing experience was spent watching him patrol around the room like a lifeguard tracking a wandering shark.
I’d truly recommend going all in and trying to play along. The suspense of following the challenge at home, especially with others, makes even the small glances and petty comments hard to get through – and the big set pieces dizzyingly hilarious. It’s worth it just for Daisy-May Cooper’s stoic screw-face as things become increasingly tense.
If you’re feeling a bit down after watching some of the other new shows out on streaming services this month (specifically Adolescence), this is one of the best Prime Video shows that’ll lift your spirits with Olympic force.
Last One Laughing UK – who I’d want to see in series 2
So, there we have it – the new funniest show I’ve ever seen. While I’m looking forward to getting into the remaining episodes of the series, which released today (March 27), I’ve already got some ideas as to who I’d like to see appear in a second outing.
Firstly, let’s get Big Narstie in there. Though not a comedian by trade, rapper and media personality Big Narstie is a true one-of-one whose confidence and liberal approach to language fills any room with personality. Not to mention one of the most famous and infectious laughs you’ll ever hear, creating a Pandora’s box situation for the other contestants.
I also think the ironic powers of Diane Morgan (known for her character Philomena Cunk) would make her a good fit for this format – I can see Morgan and Ayoade getting into a sort of war dance with one another as each tries to deliver droll remarks with the least expression.
And how about another newcomer? Britain’s Got Talent winner Axel Blake is enjoying a career renaissance at the minute via social media – I’d be up for seeing if his new, fast-paced approach to character work could crack some smiles in that high-pressure room.
The full series of Last One Laughing UK is out now on Prime Video – once you’re through all six episodes be sure to check out our list of seven great new shows and movies out on streaming services this week for more recommendations.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
