An unexpectedly funny thing happened at The Boy With Tape On His Face's opening night in the West End. The silent comedian regularly invites audience members on stage to take part in his physical comedy routines – but, just before Christmas, he nearly got more than he bargained for. The gag involved dressing up a fan on stage, playing Tom Jones's You Can Leave Your Hat On and letting the obvious ensue – except that on this occasion the fan was loving the attention so much, he looked like he was about to remove his own clothes too. Tape Boy was rapidly forced to intervene in case his family-friendly show became too adult.
This isn't the first time comedy audiences have done unexpected things. At Ross Noble's Hammersmith Apollo gig back in November, the genial surrealist asked a pair of fans close to the front to move seats slightly so that a nearby couple could have an "upgrade". The fans turned out to be stubborn – one gave Noble the finger – and an awkward stand-off ensued. Earlier this year, Sarah Millican pressed pause and asked a fan to stop filming her set at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. In America last month, comedian Katt Williams seemed to be spoiling for fight, shouting "You bring your ass up here!" to a member of his Oakland audience.
Many younger comedians seem to thrive on including the audience in the show in unusual ways (perhaps it's a reaction to arena gigs, where there is minimal contact between performer and audience). This year's Foster's Edinburgh Comedy award-winner Doctor Brown seems to haul at least one non-Equity member on stage per show. The 2011 Foster's winner, Adam Riches, has been known to get up-close and personal with ticketholders too, while rising star Nick Helm once cuddled a fan on the floor.
Intimacy between performers and their hapless audience members creates an interesting frisson. Although it might be horrifying for the "victim", one can almost hear the collective unclenching of buttocks from everyone who escaped. And a good comedian can usually pick the right fall guy. Dara O Briain and Al Murray's Pub Landlord both feed off the crowd, constantly firing questions into the front row. It keeps their shows fresh, but sometimes it can backfire. When Murray came across a banker to berate on his recent tour you could bet your house on it being a good night – but, as O Briain once pointed out, there's not much comic potential when you ask someone what they do for a living and they say: "I'm an engineer and I work with powerhouse solutions for high-energy compression."
Tape Boy went on to have a great gig, with no more scene-stealers trying to take off their clothes. But the joy of live comedy is that one never knows what is going to happen next. Milton Jones was once performing near his home when a voice rang out from the dark: "I'm your postman, I know where you live.". A funny heckle, but one with a more than slight air of menace. You don't get that at the National Theatre.