Smug Roberts: Just Me

Smug Roberts begins his show inviting the audience to dislike him. With multiple children from various marriages, he insists he's messed up his life. Now in his fifties, and concerned about his health, returning to the Fringe is a statement of making the most of things, a memento mori. His laidback delivery style and the twinkle in his eye encourage the crowd to be on his side, despite his invitation for the opposite.

This is comedy rooted in the everyday, as he outlines his concerns over his children and events such as their first day at school. The set-ups invite recognition, and the storytelling is strong. So it's a shame when many of these narratives don't really go anywhere, the punchline failing to deliver the required comic jolt. Maybe he should move away from the quotidian and explore the fantastical more, for there are two sequences where the set comes alive. One concerns him chatting to his dog; even Roberts seemed surprised by the audience's reaction to this. The second is a piece of physical grotesquery arising from the need to get a doctor's appointment quickly. In this evocation of heightened worlds, reality and fantasy clash, and he could get more comic mileage out of this moment.

He's a beguiling presence, who interacts with the crowd well. Indeed, rowdier punters might have given him more energy to play off. But overall the set is underpowered and lacking in pin-sharp jokes, which means these tales of life and regret don't have the punch they might.