Jon Holmes

During a success-studded radio career, Jon Holmes has been sacked from employers for ‘sick’ live antics such as urinating in Dermot O’Leary’s desk drawer and forcing minors to spell out naughty words. And as recently as February, The Now Show participant and BBC6 DJ was slaughtered by The Sun, of all people, for saying nasty things about the dying Jade. Strange, then, that this hour of memories about rock star excess and/or pretentiousness should be as threatening as the theme tune to The Archers.

Holmes jokes about his height (or lack thereof) and takes sideswipes at such ludicrously soft targets as James Blunt, the Daily Mail and Sting, while he even trots out the Bono fingerclicking/dead Africans anecdote as though this was the first time it had ever been aired. Still, despite the overbearing Radio 4ness, plenty of Rock Star Babylon is above-par nostalgic entertainment: how can you not love tales of metal legends hiding their own excrement in hotel hairdryers? The best moment arrives when he secretly films himself strategically putting copies of his own book into the recommended section of a high street bookseller before being stopped in his self-marketing tracks during an almighty scrum. Now that’s edgy.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 30 Aug, 7pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).