Edinburgh Festival Fringe Review – Tim Vine *****

Timtiminee, Timtiminee, Tim, Tim To You

It’s hard to believe it’s nearly 20 years since Tim Vine lifted the Perrier Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Back in 1995, Vine was a fresh-faced stand-up comic who delighted his audience with his quick-fire repartee.

Vine has matured into one of Britain’s leading comics and now, two decades later, one has to queue for at least half an hour round the Pleasance Courtyard to wait patiently to gain entry to see the great man in action. But that’s what devotees of the star of BBC’s Not Going Out are more than happy to do for they know what to expect  – an hour of non-stop gags, puns and old-fashioned comic delivery.

Tim Vine’s shows this year have all been sold out. He’s a regular performer at the Edinburgh Fringe and I suspect the majority of his adoring audience will have seen him several times before in Scotland’s capital city – and keep coming back for more.

Now it may be something to do with my age but I find some of today’s so-called comedians about as funny as a trip to the dentist. Tim Vine is a throw-back to an age when comics would deliver gag after gag and invoke hoots of laughter. There’s none of the observational comedy which is the trademark of some other stand-ups – Vine’s show is 60 minutes of non-stop classic joke-telling. Yes, some of his puns – okay, all of his puns – bring groans from the audience. But that’s why they’re there – to hear the old puns and jokes and just plain daft routine that has them doubled up with laughter.

This is the third time I’ve seen Tim Vine in Edinburgh and I felt my jaws ache having laughed so much. His humour is simple but hilariously effective. His show runs at the Pleasance until 24 August. If you haven’t seen him yet this year – or have never seen him at all – you may be out of luck as the only chance of getting a ticket is through returns. If you can’t get a ticket I can only say you have missed one of the best stand-up comedians in the country right now.

You can at least try for tickets here