When you're a ex-communist, ex-wrestler with a shocking pink mohican who dresses like punk never went far enough, people are going to expect a certain attitude.

And attitude is what this West Country lad has in spades, though it's not the aggressive in-your-face stance you might perhaps expect.

Heavily influenced by his strongly-held Lefty beliefs, Hodgson waxes lyrical about his own fascinating life story, weaving anti-racist parables and schoolboy memories with aplomb.

He's a distinctive voice, all right, and one with no doubts about what he wants to say. The only problem is that this doesn't always covert to laughs.

While that's obviously a disappointment from such a talented raconteur, it's easy to forget that he only has a couple of years' experience under his belt. Give him a couple more, though, and that admirably sincere standpoint will hopefully lead to some real comedy nuggets. After all, he's already got the hard part sorted.