The audience booed comic Sarah Silverman at her first-ever show in London. Was I surprised? Yes and no. I've always thought she was a minimal talent who occasionally brings the funny, but who too often relies on being crudely shocking without having anything worth a laugh behind it. So I can understand why an audience wouldn't dig her.

But this was a British audience. Get that, BRITISH. As in the people who made the likes of Al Murray the Pub Landlord, Johnny Vegas and Lee Evans (or as I call him, "sweat boy") big stars. If you're American you probably haven't heard of them, because they are so patently unfunny that in the States they couldn't get a gig as the opener for an open mic night. In the UK, they get TV specials and sell out shows at you-must-be-kidding British ticket prices. If the audiences are generous enough with their laughs (and money) to make that lot stars, surely they'd be willing to go for Silverman's salty shtick.

Which is why I was surprised - and impressed - when they didn't. Sure, they were fool-hardy enough to pay about £45 a ticket (that's roughly $76), but at least they stood (or sat) their ground by refusing to leave when she put in only 40 minutes. This forced her to come back and do a short Q&A as an encore before telling the audience to go home. What, she couldn't pull another 15 minutes of material out of her ass? That's surely where she keeps her best jokes anyway, so what was the problem? She's been in this business for 15 years or so, and should have loads of material (if she were worth a damn). Dave Attell is one of my favorite stand-ups, and that guy not only can blow you away with a show, but if you catch him more than once while he's doing a slate of weekend gigs, you'll get an almost entirely different show each time because he has a huge amount of material developed over the years. That's the way any long-time comedian worth his salt should be.

I'm really curious as to whether many in Silverman's audience thought she wasn't funny during the set, or liked the show but were only pissed over the length. The BBC article linked above does note one fan saying it was all old material, but that's all it says on the subject. Chortle reviewer Steve Bennett backs that up when he says her material was "familiar," but also says Silverman "did nothing to disappoint." So I'm guessing many fans enjoyed the show, but the length is what really got their hackles up.

I was also curious if she had an opening act that might have filled out the length of the show. According to Bennett, there was "only the scantest of embarrassing support from Matt Berry and Rich Fulcher to pad this out into a show." Question answered, and it sounds like fans got a raw deal.

Note to Silverman: If you're lucky enough to have built a successful career and have fans willing to pay $76 to hear you spout your often sub-par routine, the least you can do is put in the effort and give them a show that lasts longer than it took to park the car.