David O'Doherty: Somewhere Over The David O'Doherty

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You can rely on David O'Doherty. The man is a Fringe stalwart, now in his tenth straight year of solo Edinburgh shows. Charming, entertaining and still fairly original, he's built up a reputation as a solid choice for a night out. And it's paying off – this year he's playing to his biggest Edinburgh crowds yet in the Pleasance One.

This year's show, Somewhere Over The David O'Doherty, hits some very funny highs. At his best when catapulting from real-life situations into pure absurdity, he encompasses linguistic fun in clearing up German sausage spills, hilarious nonsense with the first panda president of Belize and his renowned repertoire of comedy songs. The latter provides the funniest and most original moment of the evening, a foray into anti-comedy with a po-faced musical description of the risks inherent in water displacement spray.

O'Doherty occasionally loses momentum, though, his well-trodden material about the modern world and the internet coming across as laboured. He manages to keep the audience behind him, largely thanks to his extraordinarily affable personality, but even so he occasionally appears to be pushing his luck when some jokes last a bit too long.

O'Doherty can be very funny without straying too far from his usual patch. A musical number listing his pet hates for the year is an old favourite, and this year's version picks apart society's oddities to great effect. The seasoned pro remains a good bet for any Edinburgh evening, although a little more originality would be welcome.