Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013 – REVIEW – Jason Manford – First World Problems ****

Jason Manford – First World Problems, Venue 150 @ EICC 7:40pm, until 25 Aug, £17.50

Relaxed and conversational throughout his set, Jason Manford is the type of comedian who you can pretty much guarantee to enjoy watching live. His anecdotes and views on life and observed ‘first world problems’ (the things many of us get disgruntled about but, in the scheme of things, aren’t too horrendous) are brought to life by his natural comedic manner.

If you’re expecting a large, flashy welcome from Manford, forget it – at around 7:42pm he simply walked on stage and began the gig. Despite there not being many extremely memorable moments (a relatively safe yet assured ambience was created over the hour), parts of his set were very funny, including when he was forced to apologise for a joke he made while presenting The One Show and the comparison of other town’s first world problems.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhOaxv_RRI]

Perhaps Manford could venture ‘closer to the edge’ with his material, in terms of sculpting more enduring elements into his stories but fans will definitely enjoy his current offering, as will anyone looking for a pleasant night of humorous reflection.