Nath Valvo: Happy Idiot

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Have you ever noticed how no debut comedian ever has anything valuable to say? Aren't they ALL awful, shouty, brash white blokes finding ways to embarrass audience members as a distraction from limited observational material? Isn't EVERY SINGLE ONE a sad disappointment for a hopeful audience risking a new act?

Well, no, of course not. There are loads of fantastic Fringe first timers. Seeing a great debut is a true delight. But then one comes along to crush that hope with a lazy, misanthropic set of observational comedy delivered at full volume, and the insistence that they're espousing universal truths.

According to Nath Valvo, “all dads are the family bitch”. Also, “all dads are dumb” – they lovingly offer to drive the kids around at weekends. Mums? “All mums are creepy” – some of them keep nostalgic mementos from their children's past. Teenagers? “All teenagers are the devil incarnate, they're the worst people in the world” – many experience hormones. Blokes? “All blokes send dick pics, it's just the straight ones that make it rapey.”

It's not the worst hour of comedy I've seen. There's a nice anti-audience banter set piece. There are some decent personal stories and a cute diversion into Valvo's inferiority complex about his boyfriend (a doctor at an HIV research institute, “literally curing AIDS”). Then the big finale is a faux game show where he drags a couple out of the audience to aggressively quiz them about their relationship, chanting, “Let's Break Them Up”. At least by that point, it's almost over.