Watson is a very talented comedian - far better than a hundred Alan Carrs. His talent for turning a rib tickling phrase and his obvious intelligence always shine.

Moreover, Watson is unconventional. The first unconventional feature in this show was that he started the show standing amongst the audience. He spent 10 minutes giving a preamble from the far side of the stalls explaining that it is hard to create a nice atmosphere in such a big room and that he hoped to do so by making clear he isn't the sort of comic who picks on people.

He doesn't, and it's very refreshing. Instead Watson interacts with the audience in a friendly fashion, allowing one audience member to take the off-stage microphone and introduce him. By the time he takes the stage, the audience is warmed up and ready to laugh - and for the most part, they do.

Central to Watson's style is an ongoing commentary. Taking frequent sips from the water he cradles at his side throughout the show, he cuts from pre-prepared anecdotes to ask the audience, quite modestly, how they think the show is going and when they would like a break.

Throughout, he shows himself capable of coming up with really killer lines. One only wishes he had more and didn't ramble between them. This isn't helped by the fact that the supposed theme of the show, Watson's own musings on what the meaning of his life is, is not a strong structure and is essentially an excuse to weave together a number of funny, yet disparate anecdotes about things that have happened to him.

Perhaps the show is better in its original hour-long Edinburgh run form. Of course it is perverse to suggest that Watson can't hold audience's attention for more than an hour – he has successfully run a number of shows (albeit of a very different nature) of over 24 hours in length, but the feeling one gets from the show is that an hour of very good material is being stretched over a much longer time period, to detrimental effect.

But there are some rather lovely moments thoughout. As the show wraps up, it seems that the point, so to speak, of Watson's life is his wife, which is undeniably sweet. It's refreshing to hear anyone, let alone a comic, talking about how wonderful it is to be married. His adopted persona of the excited and energetic Welshman also continues to be impossible to dislike.

Measured against his previous work, the show is not his absolute best. But measured against anyone else's work, this is still a very funny show from a very talented comedian.

Mark Watson: Can I briefly talk to you about the point of life? @ UCL Bloomsbury Theatre, London, 1 February 2008

By Wilfred Lawson

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