It is a real shame Wellington doesn’t get to see Jason Cook’s new show, Fear!, due to his sudden return to the UK. But rest assured Tom Wrigglesworth is more than a worthy replacement.

His one-hour show is based on an incident he was involved in while travelling on a train between Manchester and London, owned by Virgin Rail, a branch of Richard Branson’s empire.

While most stand-up comics rely on real-life experiences for their material, more often than not it is tweaked to maximise the laughs – a version of what they would have liked to have happened or have said.

However, this story is largely unembroidered: Wrigglesworth is the hungover protagonist, only after his one cup of hangover-curing tea. The damsel in distress is a little old lady and the villain in this scenario is a mean, corpulent train manager (believe me, you’ll hate him by the end too); the hero even has helpful sidekicks along the way.

Though a Good Samaritan story seems unlikely to entertain a large room of paying punters for an hour, this charming yet crazy Englishman’s yarns and extremely funny asides make this show memorable.

There is a touching moment in the show where laughing truly feels awkward but Wrigglesworth lets you feel the emotion before getting back to the comedy, once again drawing out the big laughs.

This is a true story and Wrigglesworth’s actions, which have actually made a difference to Virgin train policy, and his skilful comedy, will uplift and cheer you no-end as you leave the show.

If there is one stand-out show to end your Comedy Festival with a bang, this is most certainly it.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer