Mark Nelson - Offending the Senses

Armed with a stage presence that makes Wil Hodgson appear as hyper as any of the comedy Russells, Mark Nelson has opted to simply be a cracking joke-teller. And ultimately, in a Fringe packed to their mainly low rafters with weak concept shows, miserable sketch affairs and big names firing on fewer cylinders than normal, it’s refreshing to encounter an act who just wants to tell us some quality gags.

Anyone who has followed his slow-burning circuit career will nod sagely when confronted by a title such as Offending the Senses, while Nelson virgins in attendance should be prepared for a good old jolt to the system. His comedy takes a merciless swipe at Scotland for having a high opinion of itself amid a landscape of gnarled 12-year-olds and abandoned trampolines. While easy targets such as Katie Price and Americans are nonetheless laid into without pity, it’s Nelson’s material about his loved ones that truly hits home.

Underbelly, 08445 458 252, until 29 Aug, 6.30pm, £9–£10.50 (£6.50–£9.50).