While not wishing to sound like a cabbie, I do tend to bump into ‘famous’ people at airports, usually while sitting in Business Class lounges. In fact, I first met Steve Coogan at Gatwick Airport. When I informed my eldest son of this, he nearly swooned with excitement. “Aww, dad! He’s just the funniest!” I had to agree but it all depends on your definition of ‘funny’.

Frequently, the ‘on-set’ presence of these people is significantly greater than their ‘off-set’ persona, which can be nervous, suspicious, insecure and often a combination of all three and more conditions. I have since met him at movie premieres and reached the same conclusion: Steve Coogan is funny on TV but lacks something on stage and in person.

The most recent DVD release of ‘Steve Coogan Live’ is a prime example. Despite wheeling out most of his highly popular and, some people would say, genius characterisations, such as Pauline Calf, the self-aware ‘sophisticate’ (who is not) and brother to Mancunian foul-mouthed wastrel, boozer and social commentator, Paul Calf, as well as Tommy Saxondale, the ex-roadie-turned-pest-controller and even the lesser-known Duncan Thickett, a wannabe comedian and utterly psychotic ventriloquist, it is Alan Partridge, his ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ sometime TV presenter and interviewer that percolates somewhat precariously to the surface. While these characters have a valid place in the halls of comedy, they do work especially well, when the opportunity to rehearse and exercise a script to its natural conclusion, in between set-changes in a comedy TV series, is part of a televisual package.

The artist can get away with so much more and there is always the chance to have another take. However, a live stage performance, in front of a live audience, usually of dedicated fans, places the performer under another set of demands and, to be quite frank, I think that Mr Coogan should stick to TV characters, as they can be a lot more forgiving. It is not to say that this current DVD is totally dry and unamusing, because it is not so. There are some delightful and brilliant scenes and Alan Partridge is a perfect foil, in so many ways, However, it does miss the mark more frequently than striking it and I am almost 100% certain that my son‘s bubble would be burst, were he to view the disc.

As far as the Extras are concerned, there is a fairly unwitty documentary and a picture gallery. If you can tolerate 80 minutes of Steve Coogan Live, when there is less than 20 minutes worth watching, you are a better comedic reviewer than I am. Sorry, Steve, stick to the TV, it works for you.