Ben Pope: The Cut

Tuesday 5th August 17.05

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For me the main joy of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is discovering new talent. The problem is that there are so many shows available it is hard to know where to start. Ideally, you come across someone in passing during the year, remember their name and hope they appear in the world's biggest arts festival.

So, earlier in the year I thoroughly enjoy Nick Mohammed - Show Pony and in particular his support, Ben Pope. It wasn't just his material, but I liked his style and his personality.

And so here we are, literally in a crate outside of Assembly Square gardens, fortunately, a day after the great storm. I will be honest a show about Ben' s recent circumcision wouldn't be my subject of choice but Ben is such an engaging performer that I would happily listen to him talking about toenails, for example, for an hour.

If you are of a bit squeamish do not worry the show isn't just of a medical nature. We also learn about his middle England upbringing, the perils of running a bookshop and the problems of googling his full name. This is all gentle, funny and enjoyable comedy and then the show takes a turn into the unexpected.

Nowadays, it is not rare for a comedian to venture into slightly darker material but when it is not signposted you need to trust the performer that this segment will not be difficult to deal with. And here Ben proves to be the perfect host when talking about caring for his father when he develops Parkinson's disease. You could hear the room collectively take a deep breath but we allowed Ben to take us through this difficult period safe In the knowledge that we were never far away from a joke and that this situation would be handled sensitively and honestly.

And that is the joy of the show. Ben is a very funny guy, has natural charisma, charm and has a beautiful way with words, which is probably why he runs a bookshop.

So, if you want to see some undiscovered talent and spend an hour in the company of a master story teller head to the Box at Assembly George Square. (DC)

Ben Pope: The Cut is on daily (not 13th) at The Box at Assembly George Square until August 24th - details here