If politicians were able to talk as freely about their profession as Steve Richards does then the increasing apathy towards elected officials may not be as fervent.

A journalist by trade, Richards dipped into his vast vault of first-person anecdotes to pull together a routine that personalised politicians by providing an insight behind what the public sees in the press. At its core it was simply very amusing.

The Independent columnist largely didn’t chase gags in his show. That was to his benefit. Running with a theme about David Cameron and Ed Miliband’s lack of true political voice, the quality and delivery of his material was enough to provide natural moments of comedy without having to include cheap, Mock The Week-style puns.

The show was not polished. There were slips and initially some nerves - understandable considering it was the debut performance of his new material.

That said, Richards is clearly an expert in his field. At times, especially during the audience Q&A, the show had the feel of an entertaining lecture. The audience didn’t heckle, it listened and learned through laughter. The qualities which earn that level of respect make Richards probably the most authentic voice in political comedy.