Late to the party

I'm warming to David Mitchell, some of you might be happy to learn. I've always liked him on QI and HIGNFY, but I can't stomach Would I Lie To You or Mock The Week, and I've always suspected that I wouldn't actually like David Mitchell were I to meet him in person. He too much gives off the vibe (or cultivates the persona) of that really annoying guy* who spouts smart, witty, acerbic and highly entertaining things in a very loud voice with no regard for anyone else and exhibits no people skills whatsoever in his interactions with others. Entertaining enough in small doses, but unbearable in large ones.

But then, quite by accident, I watched four seasons of That Mitchell and Webb Look and decided that I might like David Mitchell after all. Still not keen on Robert Webb, though.

And last night, I watched The Bubble, and found him quite charming, really. So perhaps there's still hope.

I still dislike the staged rants (Soap Box). I feel his strength is thinking on his feet and coming up with witty rebukes and - as Stephen Fry put it - "slightly worried logic" on the spot. When the whole point of a programme is to write the rants in advance - even if he does the writing himself - it kills off all of that charming spontaneity.

*In other words: a born critic