Let’s declare an interest here. Josie Long is one of my favourite comedians. If she hadn’t existed comedy would have had to have invented her. She is intelligent, enthusiastic, funny and always coming up with something different, whether it is stories about NHS founder Nye Bevan or anecdotes about artists who spent their life trying to paint the perfect horse portrait. You always learn something at a Josie Long show. Yet for some reason she gets on some people’s nerves. Some people did not like her gushy, uncynical lo-fi whimsy days and then other people – well, probably the same people – didn’t like her when she started doing angry shows about politics. Rather than applaud her integrity they denounced the award-winning stand-up for behaving like a teenage undergraduate shouting in the Uni bar when she was actually approaching thirty. But as I said, she is one of my favourite comedians, mainly because whatever she talks about she talks about with unbridled passion. She is a comedian who cares – she even set up the charity Arts Emergency to help underprivileged students get through university. So go and see her new show. If you don't love her already, well, what's wrong with you? You never know, this might be the year that she wins you over. She is at The Good Ship tonight with Ben Van Der Velde.

Josie Long is at The Stand from July 30 - August 24. Tickets here.