An evening that addresses near enough all things wrong with our country, our culture and ourselves. Alan Francis does not hold back his opinions as he obsesses over a better time, be that in the past or future. His ideas aren’t exactly pioneering, in fact they’re considerably unoriginal. Most have already been covered by many before him, though there is something much more organic and authentic about them when they come from his mouth.

From the church through to public transport via the pub, no social or political page goes unturned as he rips through various current affairs and compares them to a simpler time. Pointing out the similarities between Labour and Tory parties (“Solid shit and diarrhoea”), he goes on to suggest that as a country we are letting the golden age slip through our fingers, that we are, for instance more interested in “Voting for an X Factor contestant than a Member of Parliament.” Nonetheless Francis himself has a clear interest in the politics of his country. He discusses at great length just how hopeless both Brown (a little late in the day) and Cameron have been in recent years and briefly touches upon Churchill. His opinion, much like many others I suspect, is that today there is very little unity. He jokes that when Cameron tells us “We’re alright”, what he really means is “You’re fucked”.

There’s a bitter sweetness about the evening. He’s angry, he’s disappointed, he’s funny. The captivating part is that he means it. Every last word. At first you see the funny side, this is after all a stand up comedian. Of course what you expect is what you get, jokes. Moments later the realisation hits, it is a joke, it is funny, but it is also true. It leaves you deliberating, should I be laughing? The future is, after all, ours to live in. If you’re somebody who tells people at the bus stop that “back in my day…” you probably share the view that the future is doomed.

Francis ends on a lighter note, however, and puts forward that “Maybe, just maybe, the best is yet to come.” I left the theatre reflecting on this so-called “Golden age.” I wondered whether it was as good as Alan Francis’s grandmother said it was. Surely it would have been preserved?! If once upon a time everything was so much better, who really is to blame for why it took a turn for the worse? I thought to myself, did anyone at the time actually think everything was great, or do people simply choose to remember what they want to remember and, as they grow up, grow miserable. Who knows? I’m sure I’ll find out when I’m at the bus stop, talking about how life was in my day…

Alan Francis Expands played at the Leicester Square Theatre.