Good.Clean.Men.

Laurie Coldwell arrives on time for the most punctual comedians in Cambridge

Corpus Playroom Lateshow 9.30pm Tues 3rd-Sat 7th November

5/5

Nah, mate, don't believe the rating. It's shit. I'm telling you: Don't. See. This. It's. Shit. I hated it. I wouldn't...Wait...I'M LYING, I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GO. I want to see it again and clap and convulse all the way through like I will when I hit 76 and they put me in that home. This sold out on the first night; I won't get a chance to go again. Believe the rating. I'm telling you: This. Is. Fantastic. I loved it. And so did my date, who unfortunately isn't hot and is a bit of a sex pest and is also a man. He said 'I haven't seen anything in Cambridge that is solidly funny and it's definitely better than stuff on TV like Mitchell and Webb'. I might not agree with his sexual morals, but he was right about this.

Why? It batted close to the risqué, but was intelligent rather than obvious about it. It was consistent: only one sketch elicited infrequent, embarrassed chuckles and that was only because his nervousness at playing to a full house got the better of the performer and he fluffed his lines. I'm sure he will be killing himself about it tonight (these six comics are professional with their comedy) and I can't see - what is - a good sketch not fulfilling its potential throughout the week.

The six men obviously know how to utilise each other well. Ben Ashenden's dead (pan?) face, Simon Haines' boundless actorly energy, Joe Bannister's rugged chin and 1940s public announcement voice, Alexander Owen's arrogant square mile-esque patois, Joey Batey's winsome naivety and Neil Fiddaman's sheer, crushing oddness all bounce off each other like such a very bouncy and very funny thing. The authorship is blurred beautifully and you can see they obviously trust each other fully on the stage. A good thing too: in the hands of poorer performers their surrealism and Ronnie Barker-like wordplay might seem overwrought or horribly 'random'.

The show is infinitely quotable, but I'm not going to quote it here. I'm not even going to mention what the sketches are like. I can't do them justice in ink and you'll only sit there thinking 'oh, so that's the bit where they chase Edward Heath with a birch. TCS said it was funny'.

Half the fun will be repeating what you've seen on the way home.

You might not like their disregard of punctuation. You might have thought their Varsity centrefold spread was audacious and not actually a good photo. Or actually a selection of nice-looking menswear. It doesn't matter.

Forgive them, because this is an uninterrupted laugh-riot.

Laurie Coldwell