Junior doctor Akadiri deals with being a junior doctor in the NHS today, picking out other NHS workers in the audience and involving them so that non-medical audiences can get a little insight into England’s largest employer. With the recent release of the book-to-TV adaptation ‘This Is Going To Hurt’ becoming a small sensation, it seems like a new genre is forming: medical comedy.
But really, the show is meant to help the audience see that the so-called NHS heroes that were applauded during lockdown are just people, normal people with flaws and problems. Beyond that, he speaks on the different judgements others make when seeing him as a black man or as a doctor. He punches serious political points at the state of the NHS and its treatment of employees during the pandemic, noting that clapping and discounts don’t pay the bills. Akadiri keeps the show light by recounting his favourite part of being in the NHS during the pandemic (jumping the queues in the supermarket) and the worst things about being an adult (needing a child to get into a trampoline park).
I really liked all of his material about his family, as it was relatable, funny and sometimes absurd, when talking about his mum’s psychic who always comes out with the truth. Personally, I think the strengths of the show lay in the overarching narrative of the tension in being a young, Black junior doctor. Sticking more closely to this idea throughout the set might have made the whole thing more coherent. In terms of comedy, poking fun at the NHS from a doctor's perspective is really unique and I would have liked to hear more about Akadiri’s experience training and working. I was also confused as to why Akadiri’s court case was set up at the very start of the show, but only returned briefly and was not completely related to the overall set Akadiri was performing.
For a newcomer to comedy, I really believe that this show displayed Akadiri's potential as a comic. He’s funny, charming, and charismatic, and has a great rendition of ‘No Scrubs’ in store for you!
Read our interview with Michael Akadiri here.
For tickets and more information, visit edfringe.com
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