Sam Lake review: Aspiring DILF proves he’s the Daddy

There are two real stars of Sam Lake’s latest show, Aspiring DILF. They are Sam himself, of course, and his former work bestie and certified hun, Claire.

Claire: office manager. Claire: gossip purveyor extraordinaire. Claire: Of The Lanyards. Claire, who has Big Daddy Energy, a certain type of confidence and competence that is rare but easy to recognise. You just know when someone’s a Daddy, and that energy tends to be widely acknowledged (though, when asked for examples, one audience member said Gino D'Acampo which literally no one else in the room agreed with).

The pursuit of BDE is the focus of the show (extremely different from big Dad energy, having way more to do with cables than confidence), which swiftly traverses early sexual encounters, his lack of male role models and the big changes he has made in moving to Scotland to be with his new husband and going into comedy full time.

I see Sam on the first night of his tour, having already charmed everyone in Edinburgh with this show. It’s a Saturday night and there’s a hen party in and you know what that means. I won’t dwell on it, but I wanted to mention it super quickly because it’s to his great credit that he can withstand the multiple distractions of an extremely disruptive front row (front two rows actually), and still be able to have his narrative show shine through the noise. Ok, moving on from that.

Right from the opening montage, Sam has hit his stride. It’s an incredibly accomplished and well-crafted stand-up show, with peaks and call-backs in all the right places, and a *chef’s kiss* satisfying ending that takes care of everything. He has a complete assuredness on stage and an air of openness that never wanes.

We return regularly to investigations of masculinity, from the definitive celebrity Daddy (the reveal of whom makes you go ‘yes, of course’), to the straight male crisis about going to a gay bar, to his grandfather’s difficult relationship with Furbys, and learn why being able to walk powerfully into a space is such an important thing for him to claim.

The more I think about it, the more I'm impressed by the writing of this hour. Every story holds up in isolation, but by the end, you can see how Sam has assembled each brick to create a pyramid that brings the biggest and most rewarding laugh (and a cheer) on the very last line.

It is indeed a show about masculinity, but more than that, it’s about being able to hold onto your own power without holding it over someone else, proving at multiple points that being the biggest Daddy in the room doesn’t have to come at the cost of respect and kindness.

Sam Lake is touring with Aspiring DILF until April 13th. Dates, locations and tickets here.