Kevin Day: Standy Uppy

You can understand why Kevin Day delayed his Fringe return for so long. An influential stalwart of the late-‘80s alternative scene, he helped popularise the concept of candid Edinburgh shows with 1993’s I Was a Teenage Racist, but then lurched sideways into the more lucrative world of TV gag-writing, plus a bit of football presenting.

Hence he clearly isn’t sure who his audience might be these days. Football fans? The politically engaged? Randoms attracted by his poster's Clare Balding quote?

Taking no chances, Day throws a bit of everything into the mix. “This is a theatrical show,” he announces during an enjoyably astute preamble that both rattles through some clever gags and prepares the crowd for “quiet bits.” Actually it’s only really the second half that moves into more experimental territory. First up, there are issues to tackle, notably some newsworthy court cases.

Day has more insight than most, having worked with the great, the good and Nigel Farage, as a HIGNFY "programme associate". Brief football references pepper the set too (including one fabulous bit of off-field gossip), to appease those punters.

The early-evening kick-off was actively chosen to deter the overly refreshed, however, as the show then takes a leftfield turn, via an intriguing ghost story, hints of recent trauma, a few special effects and an unexpectedly beautiful ending. Day is anything but the bolshy geezer some might assume, and nerves are evident on occasion – not that they detract. As the comedy world learned again this week, even the greats are human too.