The Thousands

When comedians write fiction, the results can be dire. As a foolhardy teenager, I once read Drew Carey’s Dirty Jokes and Beer featuring an incredibly boring short story that basically transcribed a poker game he once played. How inspired! Funnier than Drew Carey (not difficult, I know) is an unsung hero of Aussie comedy, Bob Franklin, whose stage persona resembles a wearied brickie turned standover man. Best known for appearances on Thank God You’re Here, I much preferred Franklin’s shambolic sketches for the Mick Molloy Show, "How delightful!"

How surprising it is to find that Franklin now has a book of short stories, Under Stones, which is almost the literary equivalent of The League of Gentlemen. Stylistically spanning from brief stabs of surrealism (‘Assistance’) to sustained character pieces (‘Traitors Bay’), Franklin tells a series of unsettling tales with trademark deadpan and unexpected depth. One of the best is ‘Soldier On’ where a man observes his elderly parents’ submission to a comatose existence of Coronation Street repeats and frozen dinners. Break out the cucumber sandwiches.