“I’ve got the best wife in England. My other one is in Africa”. Just one of the many classic gags that can be enjoyed in this full-throttle best-of show devised and performed by Daniel Taylor.

Tommy Cooper is easily one of the world’s best known and loved entertainers, which makes putting on a production like this all the more difficult. Thankfully, Taylor is the ideal Tommy, in fact at times you forget you’re not watching the main man himself. His perfect portrayal included the voice, the breath, the mannerisms and of course the laugh and catchphrases. Sporting his trademark fez, Taylor gives a tour-de-force of a performance impersonating one of Britain’s comedy heroes, flawlessly delivering punchline after punchline to huge laughs from Southend’s Palace Theatre audience.

The stage is adorned with red velvet curtains plus all the props you’d expect – blindfolded ducks, packs of cards and a bucketful of hats to name but a few. Taylor gives us most of the routines that you could wish for – the famous bottle and glass trick is a particular crowd pleaser – although it’s a shame that the eggs into the glasses set piece isn’t featured. The show begins with the well-known act in which Cooper is locked in his dressing room with his microphone live, however here the microphone isn’t live and it’s clearly pre-recorded by Taylor, which sadly defeats the point and doesn’t quite work. There were also sound issues, particularly in the first act, which was disappointing and made some lines unclear.

The second act seemed a little short at 35 minutes but a finale singalong of ‘Don’t Jump Off The Roof Dad’ was a real delight and a beautiful ending.

It’s a harmless, feel good trip down memory lane. Clean, silly comedy at its finest – just like that.

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