Mr Swallow is Show Pony

Nick Mohammed, a double Emmy Award-nominated British comedian, actor, and writer, takes to the stage as Mr Swallow, the first of two warm-up acts of the evening.

We dive straight in as Mohammed launches an energetic barrage of fast-talking, sharp one-liners, kicking off with some playful riffs on Lego. He skilfully builds momentum with longer-running gags, including an especially funny routine about his foot that had the audience in stitches. There are also a few clever nods to musicals, a nice touch for any theatre enthusiasts in the crowd.

Alongside the comedy, there’s a sprinkling of understated magic. In one sequence, Mohammed involves an audience member in a Rubik’s Cube trick, later enlisting a few more volunteers for another entertaining illusion. I can confirm these were genuine members of the audience, which added to the fun and spontaneity.

The second warm-up act was Rosie, unfortunately, I didn’t catch her surname. I found her set a little niche. Much of her material focused on having children; while some jokes were amusing, they were definitely more relatable for those who are parents. Other parts of her routine centred on weight and body image, and overall the set leaned towards the negative. In fact, one of her punchlines was ironically about not being negative, just before heading straight back into more negative territory.