Jack Whitehall: Settle Down

Never been a huge fan of Jack Whitehall but thought I would give this a go.

He is a better actor than he is a comedian - his comedy is very run of the mill and "safe". I just prefer something a little more risqué or challenging.

The material is okay, I mostly just find his delivery irritating - he has always spoken in a very posh accent, but now appears to be doubling down on the "camp", which is really grating and high-pitched.

He is better suited to panel shows where he has other comedians to bounce off of - a full stand-up show of just him is a bit much.

If you're already a fan you will probably love this. Is you aren't a fan and hoping this special will change your mind, don't waste your time.

I really like Jack Whitehall, especially the comedy he brings to our tv in shows such as bad education and fresh meat, I've always thought he acts a very funny character and in general seems like a brilliant bloke. Unfortunately I never quite enjoy the stand-up comedy as much but fully admit that it is my personal taste, as well as having to compare to the brilliant new stand-up performance from Ricky Gervais which I had seen a couple of times over Christmas. It sadly just doesn't warrant me watching this show again, which is all I can judge on really, which is ironic because in the show Jack makes a brilliant point about the world today and how everyone feels they need to make an opinion on things they aren't an expert in, and this is very much the case so apologies Jack.

It's weird to me how someone genuinely funny like Jack Whitehall could produce such a boring hour of standup comedy. He's much funnier in British game shows without a script than he is in his own special.

"Settle Down" was the one standup I was waiting for tonstart February well, but it failed to deliver. Jack Whitehall seems to be embracing some kind of a persona instead of being himself and it's not working well. I haven't laughed even one time out loud, all I got was a smirk, and it was actually based on an old Jimmy Carr joke. I'd call that joke straling but hey, they seem to be friends with Jimmy, maybe he got the permission.

Jack is kind of going for a "silly soy boy" persona and it doesn't suit him at all. His energy doesn't match his jokes and that's the reason he gets more applause breaks than laughs from the audience.

Look, I knew from the trailer than if this is the hook part (the one with the little dog), then something should be very wrong with this special. And there IS something very wrong with it. It's in this new style of "feel good comedy" that's not really comedy and it doesn't really make me feel good. The act is clean (I think?) but that doesn't help anyone. If anything, it makes Jack look more like an entertainer at a kids party than a standup comedian.

The material was predictable and I can only guess that even a novice comedy fan would know the punchline 4 seconds before the end lf every joke. And again - there weren't many jokes, because they were in the form of long, realistic stories, that Jack Whitehall somehow made not believable with his tone. Seriously, when a good comedian is telling a story, you can believe it even of it's obviously a lie. The good comedian paints a picture with his masterful use of words. Jack Whitehall did the opposite - he told stories that could very well be true, but he told them so badly, you could barely believe him.

Do you know the British actor and comedian Jack Whitehall? We watched a few seasons of his show, "Travels with My Father", with Season 1 in SE Asia (S01E02 in Bangkok) and S02 in Europe. We didn't watch the rest, because while sweet and touching, Jack came off as a typical smug British toff and the novelty wore thin.

However, he was recently in the second season of the Apple TV+ show "The Afterparty" (now since cancelled) and he was funny and very memorable. We had a few hours to kill this past Saturday afternoon and so we watched his new Netflix special, "Settle Down". I swear I haven't laughed so hard in a while; it's absolutely hilarious. He's a very funny physical comedian and does spot-on American accents. He's also older and more mature now with great hair and a touch of the gay. I leaned over to Shane and commented how he seemed like a gay man trapped in a straight man's body and then he did a funny bit on that. Definitely give this a shot if you want something to tickle your funny bone.

When I sat down to watch the 2024 stand-up comedy special "Jack Whitehall: Settle Down" on Netflix, I don't think I've ever heard about Jack Whitehall, much less actually seen any of his shows. And if I have, then I have entirely forgotten about it.

Regardless, I opted to give "Jack Whitehall: Settle Down" a chance and check out his comedy.

I have to say that I was adequately entertained throughout the course of the 62 minutes that the show ran for. There were some genuinely funny moments here and there, but it wasn't a non-stop laugh riot. But it certainly made for a watchable and entertaining stand-up comedy special.

Has the "Jack Whitehall: Settle Down" show spurned me to venture out and track down more of Jack Whitehall's comedy specials? Hardly so. But should I happen to stumble upon any, then I will certainly give them a go.

I am sure that fans of this comedian will get a good laugh from this show.

It should be noted that Jack Whitehall definitely has a good on-stage charisma and he has a good take on the audience.

All in all, a watchable and enjoyable stand-up comedy show.

My rating of "Jack Whitehall: Settle Down" lands on a six out of ten stars.