****

The sketch show is dead, long live the sketch show. Every year a fresh-faced young troupe pitches up and finds a new way of doing theatrical skits. This year the word on the cobbled Edinburgh streets is that Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres, aka Daphne, are the ones to watch.

I’m not sure if they necessarily reinvent the formula, but they are certainly hilarious and that’s the main thing. Hospital diagnosis sketches and Shakespearean spoofs have been done to death over the years, but this combo still brings a freshness to them. It may be the fact that they are young and energetic, but they also happen to have great chemistry.

And they all bring something different to the party. Jason Forbes is agile and at times almost reptilian. His creepy impression of Ainsley Harriott has more than an echo of Vic and Bob's’ classic Masterchef pastiche. Fouracres is good with words, a little like an itchy, nervy pocket Peter Cook with a bit of Dudley Moore too, while Wang tends to play it straight, which makes everything he does even more comical.

There are some misfires, but only partial ones. Their slapstick moments are so over the top it is hard not to laugh, but they do not sit easily within their more cerebral material. They are clearly an intelligent bunch. Their piece about slavery pulls the rug neatly. In fact their forte is the unexpected pull back and reveal - just because they explain and then send up this comedic technique at the start doesn’t stop them from using it exceptionally well throughout.

This is Daphne’s first full Edinburgh show and it clearly bodes well. They have already added extra gigs to their run, which is a good sign of genuine word-of-mouth buzz and not just mates spreading the word on social media. As long as they haven’t peaked too earlier they should definitely be a contender for the Foster’s Best Newcomer Award. 

Until August 31. Tickets here.