We’re very aware that this review is late. So very, very late. If we had a proper editor (and I always imagine J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson when I say that), he’d have been screaming at us for over a month about our blatant disrespect for deadlines. Fortunately for us… we don’t.

So why the procrastination? Well, here’s the problem: we know Mark Thomas doesn’t care about reviews. And we know his fans (which includes us, by the way) don’t care about reviews either. So who exactly are we writing this for?

We’re not struggling because he’s not good – he’s phenomenal. A guaranteed five stars. One of the acts we most look forward to every single year. He sells out every time, with standing room only (those standing are happy just to be there). No, we’re struggling because we don’t know what we can possibly add. But to say nothing at all would be the real mistake – this clown deserves to be talked about.

So, we’ll keep it short but sweet.

It was the final Sunday of the Fringe and, as always, we wanted to end with an absolute showstopper. So here we were, at The Stand. Early. And I mean sixth-in-the-queue early. We didn’t even risk a drink at The Nightcap next door — we needed to be in that line, because we were not standing for this hour.

The room fills — really fills. We had a plan: one grabs the drinks, one grabs the seats. Executed to perfection. Then, without warning or introduction (the lights haven’t even dimmed yet), Mark Thomas walks on stage. And we begin.

The thread of this year’s show is our clown’s 40 years in the game. In that time, he’s (among other things) changed tax laws, created six series of a hit TV show, jailed arms dealers, set up a comedy club in a refugee camp in Jenin on the West Bank, given evidence before three Parliamentary select committees, published six books, beaten the police in court multiple times, and won awards from Amnesty International and the UN.

You’d think he’d be absolutely knackered. Thankfully for us, that’s far from the case. The show is packed with anecdotes from his past, stories about his mum, and — of course — politics. All delivered with the same passion and fire that scorches any comedy space he steps into. He really is an act all stand-up comedy fans should try to catch.

For as long as he’s happy to keep performing, we’ll happily keep buying tickets.

Happy 40th anniversary, Mark.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@The Stand, Edinburgh

You can find out more about this clowns live shows at markthomasinfo.co.uk and if you enjoyed this review, you may also like…