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Written by Rosie Whitehead
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 Geeky can be endearing but Sandling misses the mark and his show is uncomfortable, lacking in structure, and decidedly lacking in laughs. He ponders whether this third part of his VHS trilogy will be like so many sequels, a bit of a flop. Well, at least he’s not completely deluded. He is clearly dedicated to his cause: he hates DVDs and loves good, old-fashioned videos. He is anxious to clarify that most video fans adopt the ‘it’s-so-bad-it’s-good’ attitude to VHS and that he is not one such fan; he truly believes that VHS was more culturally important than the punk movement and blathers on about why for quite some time. He talks about his video shop, which earns him no money, and his job in an NHS office, which he detests. He works with middle aged ladies with racist tendencies so rattles off a couple of their casual remarks, and then comments on the lack of racial diversity in Essex before recalling the worst gigs of his comedy career. With this dismal, self-deprecating ending which does little to redeem the rest of his set, Sandling left me feeling relieved to be leaving the damp, dripping cave of a venue that has given him a hacking cough, and really quite sorry for him.
- Richard Sandling – VHS 3: Video Nasty
- Underbelly
- 4th - 24th August
- 20:35
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