Ability

Ever since the excellent Mum finished, television seems short of sitcoms. Fortunately, radio is here to fill the void. A show I’ve been really enjoying is Ability, written by Lee Ridley and Katherine Jakeaways. Jakeaways has previous on Radio 4, writing North by Northamptionshire back in 2011. Ridley, on the other hand, is better known as ‘Lost Voice Guy,’ the 2014 winner of BBC New Comedy Award, and recent contestant on Britain’s Got Talent.

A few months back I heard Ridley interviewed by Stuart Goldsmith on The Comedians Comedian Podcast. It wasn’t a typical interview in that Goldsmith had to send his questions over in advance. The reason for this is because Ridley has cerebral palsy, which consequently took his voice. As a result, he uses a computer program to talk. Being a stand up fan, I was interested in how this affects performance. Can you, for example, build in the necessary pauses for a joke to land? What happens say if some material isn’t flying? Is it easy to switch to a new topic? Is it possible to react off the cuff to what’s going on in the room? Other comedians don’t have to worry about such things. The train service between thought and mouth is often efficient – there when you need it. However, if you’re using a computer, isn’t there a Southern Rail chance of a joke arriving late to the station. How does a comic constrained by a computer cope with the issue of timing? A versatile thinker, Ridley has learnt to work within these restrictions. Pre-programming his material, he clicks in and out of jokes. If a joke doesn’t land, he has other topics ‘saved’ he can move on to. Therefore, the beauty of his comedy is in the writing. Some comics get away with skipping around the stage and changing their cadence to give the appearance of a joke, with Ridley his material stands and falls on the writing.

His writing has held him in good stead in Ability too- a perfectly formed sitcom. I genuinely don’t think there’s a bad line in it. The show is semi-autobiographical with Ridley playing Matt, a man with cerebral palsy whose just left home to live with his friend, Jess. Given his parents are no longer there to look after him, it falls on his carer to be his right hand man. The man in question is Bob: a loveable geezer with questionable morals. Him and Matt are inseparable, doing each other’s bidding, getting into hilarious scrapes along the way. Ability subverts the disabled stereotype as Bob is as dependent on Matt as Matt is on Bob. When it comes to playing the disabled card, both are as irascible as the other. Bob uses Matt to appear kind and caring; Matt uses Bob to get nights out and porn mags. Throughout the series, the two quite literally become partners in crime, shoplifting cereal and defrauding lonely men into believing Matt is a sex robot.

The cast at work.

The format for Ability reminds me a little of Peep Show with a ‘talking head’ device being used. Like the creator, the character has a lost voice too. Ridley therefore does Matt’s talking voice, whilst Andrew Hayden-Smith does his inner voice. As Newcastle born, Ridley’s internal monologue is Geordie inflected; however, his conversational tone is computer neutral. Hearing these two voices collide makes you appreciate how difficult it must be to talk with a sound that isn’t your own. In fact, there are hilarious incidents where the other characters don’t realise Matt is joking because his voice isn’t telegraphing the punch-line. Ridley’s voice is the anti-winky face: people have to be smart enough to realise when and if he’s joking.

You might have picked up that Ridley is something of a cheeky scamp. In his Britain’s Got Talent audition he wore a t-shirt that said, “I’m only in it for the free parking.” Another t-shirt he's wore for stand up is, “I was disabled before it was popular.” The man though doesn’t just wear good jokes; he writes them too. Each episode begins with a primer, putting the disability in context. In one he explains: “I’m slow at walking and I wouldn’t recommend taking me out to eat spaghetti. But on the bright side I’m the best passenger on the quiet coach of the train." What’s special about this comedy though is Ridley gives disabled jokes to Matt’s friends Bob and Jess. True friends say awful things to one another, and so it is here. Jess’ nickname for Matt is ‘fire hazard’ and Bob’s favourite game involves messing with Matt’s computer program (he changes "thank you" to "lick me").  In the wrong hands that would seem cruel, but Ridley and Jakeaways are skilled writers, holding a mirror up to friendship, demonstrating how true equality means taking the piss out of your mate regardless of circumstance.

Another great t-shirt.

Like all good modern sitcoms, there is pathos too. The first episode addresses Matt’s fear over talking to a girl he's got to know online (he worries she’ll go off him when she hears his voice). Also, a love triangle develops in later episodes where Matt becomes jealous of Bob’s relationship with Jess. Although society has made great strides in disability rights, we’re not there yet. Many years ago disabled people were to be pitied; recently Channel 4’s Paralympic coverage re-packaged this pity turning it into awe - disabled people became superheroes. The beauty of Ability is that it does neither: it presents a disabled person as normal. Someone who wants a drink, a shag, a laugh, a romance. Like everyone else.

Ability is a sitcom that reminds listeners how disability doesn’t handicap talent. In writing this comedy with Jakeaways, Lost Voice Guy is proving that in losing one voice he's gained another. A comic voice that sparkles with wit, charm and mischief. 

Ability is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2nh1n