Review by Steve Bennett

This wasn't so much a Fringe show as a triumphant local gig.

Hill ­ camp as a pink feather boa, completely bald and wearing a black leather kilt with a twitchy sporran ­ is a Scottish TV star and was totally confident in front of a very excited home audience. The only outsiders seemed to be six tourists from Newcastle.

He's a warm and wonderful traditional showbiz star and a master of audience interaction. He blew the Roof off the full theatre with an act totally tailored to Scots: "Have you all switched off your mobile phones? And have the people from Fife turned off their electronic tags?"

He was happily slagging off parts of his home country and elements of Scottish life, but he could easily adapt it to play anywhere with his light, clear accent.

His forte, though, is bouncing off the diverse audience and wonderfully smooth improvisation interspersed with fast gags that would have made Chic Murray proud: "She always speaks her mind - so she doesn't really speak very much."

I would pay money to see camp Hill on Big Brother. He could so easily become an TV star south of the border, too.

Review date: 1 Jan 2004
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett