The Ape That Got Lucky

Chris Addison's the Ape That Got Lucky

Chris Addison

Publisher: BBC Audiobooks

Price: £8.99 Audio CD

Chris Addison knows how to tell a joke. I’m not talking about those guffawing, raise the eyes heaven ward type of jokes, but the intelligent, remarkably observational sparks of comedy that charms you into feeling, well…intelligent! I loved the fact that while listening to this laugh out loud Radio 4 comedy recording, I was nodding at the feasibility of evolution, and for example, how we in Britain became the grumpiest people on Earth. Apparently our ancestors, making their way west, stopped in what was to become Great Britain to look around. They’d shouted to their fellow travellers, “See you in Madrid in three weeks”, and then became trapped in the pouring rain and wind when Britain broke off from the rest of the continent. Addison describes their first words as British people as, “Oh well that’s just bloody great isn’t it!”

Addison ’s take on the evolution of language is also hilarious. Language evolved to resolve the domestic disputes of cavemen. (Furiously shouting Ugg Ugg just didn’t cut the mustard; “You tit!” was far more effective.) His speculation on what animals would be saying if they’d grasped language was hilarious. (Be warned, laughing with your eyes closed could cause an accident if you’re listening to this CD whilst driving.)

Addison has already tackled weighty topics like The Very Fabric of The Universe , in Atomicity. This anthropological lecture series was originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2002, and recently won the Sony UK Radio Awards (Best Radio Comedy Show) in May 2006.

Addison has a panel to help with his illustrations. Professor Austin Herring is hilarious. He’s introduced as writing many scholarly works including “Holy cow Batman: Super heroes and cultural insensitivity”, acclaimed volumes of autobiography featuring his time at UCL called “Good golly Miss Molly: 10 years with a Naturist Land-lady”. He was also Editor in Chief of the Ox Dict of abbrevos. (Pinch of salt included I might add!)