Markus wastes no time establishing his sharply dry, honest style of comedy, opening with a joke about children: “Kids are the biggest source of joy you will ever have. Trouble is, they do tend to ruin every other source of joy you’ve ever had” . He shocks the panel with the punchline, “I’d take a minute for my child… put it in a gun and shoot her,” before transitioning into material about his 18-year-old daughter who wears heavy makeup .
The act takes a hilariously dark and personal turn when Markus introduces the major life events that inform his comedy. He jokes about spending the two years of the pandemic “fairly drunk” . He then reveals, with a comedic swagger, “A couple years ago I had a stroke” , before joking that people don’t believe him because he doesn’t look like a stroke survivor, quipping, “I’m actually 23” .
Markus then delivers his most unforgettable—and inappropriate—story from his time in the hospital after his second stroke . He was heavily sedated and wearing a hospital gown (“the bum cape”) and needed to use the toilet at night. He describes parting the gown, backing into the toilet, and sitting down, only to realize that there was “already a blind naked man sat there” .
The judges and audience are reduced to fits of laughter, with Bruno Tonioli crying with mirth . The punchline to the story is the blind man’s polite, middle-class English reaction to being sat on: “Oh, I’m sorry, who’s that?” . The sheer absurdity and shocking nature of the true story secures a massive reaction.
The judges deliver a flood of praise for his unique style. Bruno Tonioli declares, “You’re not afraid to go there, your delivery is absolutely spot on” , and Alesha Dixon praises his dry style, saying “every single joke was funny” Markus Birdman walks away with four emphatic “Yes” votes, successfully proving that his dark, shocking, and honest brand of comedy has a place on the BGT stage.
You can watch the full audition here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RirB3Z1K58s
