“HOWL AT THE MOOOOOOON!“… I am aware that this is is an unusual way to start a comedy review but it is the reason that we first encountered Tim Fitzhigham.

Back in the day Tim used to play a, sort of, suave ‘Igor’ to Andrew Maxwell’s maniacal ‘Dracula’ at the now legendary ‘Full Mooners’ shows. These gigs provided us with some of our favourite ever moments of the festival and this clown was a key part of that ensemble.

All of that being said, we have never actually seen Tim Fitzhigham perform his solo show, an inexcusable faux pas on our part that we were keen to rectify.

Our clown kicks things off with one of the most intentionally bumblingly memorable introductions that we have ever heard at the Fringe. So the laughter begins long before our clown has even taken to the stage, and includes one distinctive and very familiar cackle – but we’ll come back to that later.

Tim Fitzhigham is a wondrous anecdotalist. He doesn’t so much tell jokes but, rather, recounts these fantastical tales in such an entertaining fashion that you would be forgiven for thinking that they are completely made up.

For example, the time he accidentally broke (nay shattered) the world record for G-force tolerance – or that odd occasion where he squared off with the French navy while attempting to cross the Channel in a bathtub.

It’s only when you go away, do a bit of research and discover that all of these stories are in fact true that you truly appreciate the life that this clown has led.

This was already one of the most thoroughly enjoyable shows that we have seen at this year’s festival and yet, on this night, there was a cherry on the top.

That distinctive cackle that I mentioned earlier was, of course, our clown’s old compadre and fellow Fringe legend Andrew Maxwell who was invited to join Tim on stage for the grand finale.

This was an absolute treat for us Full Mooners fans and as the banter led to Tim’s familiar party trick of downing a pint (in this case, of champagne) through a bugle horn, followed by a burst of Haydn, I could not think of a greater moment for our last day at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@Pleasance Cabaret Bar, Edinburgh