Review by Steve Bennett

Dave Gibson has produced a slight, but thoroughly entertaining debut – thanks to his warmly self-deprecating wit and a surfeit of cheery enthusiasm. Compering is clearly his usual game, but he can string along a 40-minute show, too.

The premise is said to be his ‘most embarrassing televisual blunders’, but since his role is more often warm-up man than on-screen talent, he’s instead skilfully mocked up some supposed appearances on X-Factor, Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice to great effect. Although his proposed pitch to the network commissioners – a street magic show called Abracadave – starts strongly but runs for too long, as there’s only so much comic mileage you can get out of showing videos of tricks that don’t work.

Around these, this engaging Preston-based stand-up tries to get through a checklist of things all the acclaimed Edinburgh shows seem to have. Gags are top of the list – right next to award-winning mince pies – and he’s got a handful of cheesy one-liners (including a paedophile gag Frank Skinner has previously used), though his quip about dating two anorexics should rightly have made the shortlist for best joke on the Fringe.

Slightly longer routines provide him more scope for his playful wit; with a nice take on that old method of lying on your hand before masturbation (or ‘winky wanky woo’ as he coyly puts it) to make it feel like someone else is doing it and an entertaining segment mocking his mother’s inability to grasp the concept of Sky Plus.

This is a solid show from an assured performer whom it’s hard to dislike. It’s not substantial enough to be a stand-out; but it’s probably a good limbering-up exercise for something more impressive in 2010.

Review date: 31 Aug 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett