Let us quickly get some admin out of the way…

Farage (FAR-ij) noun

  1. The waste liquid that collects at the bottom of a wheelie bin.

Example: “Don’t tip that over — there’s a load of Farage at the bottom.”

Come on, OED, get it added!

We knew what was coming. It was chucking it down in Edinburgh and we would have to wait in a queue outside. That was okay, though: we had a very big brolly (smug face engaged), and the member of the Stand team joining us in the wet to look after the queue was an absolute delight.

Our biggest issue was that this is normally the show we close on – the clown we use to sign off our entire Fringe. But this year, Mark had decided not to play the final, final day, meaning that our actual last show would be enjoyable, but still inferior to the man we think of as the ultimate comedy closer.

To ready ourselves for the show, we warmed up with a few drinks at one of our favourite Edinburgh haunts, the Nightcap, which is located next door to The Stand. Our new favourite drink is the Red Tie Only, a combination of Rock Rose, absinthe and some fruity bits that makes for a fantastic opening act.

Mark had, as always, sold out the venue. The couple next to us had even come up from Newcastle just for this gig!

His entrance was slightly more subdued than usual, but that was very much the calm before the storm, as our clown soon began to thunder.

Our clown has often mentioned his mum in his sets, but this year it felt a little different, as she became the thread stitching the show together. The anecdotes featuring her are always a magical blend of shocking, charming and hilarious – including the revelation that a pack of dirty-words Snap didn’t include her late husband’s favourite: “Cunty Bollocks”.

Throw that in with his views on Gail’s Bakery and its patrons engaging in a ménage-à-twat, his take on gentrification (or ‘becunting’, as he calls it) as a concept, and you have a thoroughly enjoyable hour of comedy.

Mark’s strongest shows will always be those with a cause, but that bar is set high. It takes nothing away from this set’s political blasting and on-point insights into the way the world works… or doesn’t.

Clown Stars: * * * * *

@The Stand, Edinburgh