If Ladbrokes took bets on comedy career progression, I'd place whatever's left on my overdraft (£42) on 'Jack Whitehall becoming a very big deal on the circuit in just a few years' - or something to that effect. That, or Burnley getting relegated. It's an either/or situation, really.

The reason? Jack's offensively young (21), very 'cool' (skinny jeans, cardigan, pointy white shoes), he's already hosted Big Brother's Little Brother (and endured all the Russell Brand comparisons that that entails) and he is genuinely very funny.

Slightly effete and ever so posh, Whitehall handles both the mike and the crowd with ease - and though the basis of his material is somewhat unimaginative (The credit crunch, swine flu, newspapers telling lies etc) his delivery and confidence win out, unafraid to offend as and when necessary.

His poshness (lisp included) is something he capitalises on, rather than rejects, aware of his middle-class captive audience, with lines like "Sticks and stones may break my bones... but fuck it, I'm with Bupa."

The main theme of this, his first ever stand-up set, is "rebellion", well, everyday rebellion, which leads onto a long and thoroughly hilarious analysis of his somewhat 'eccentric' (read: 'right wing and shouty') dad.

It's obvious that this is his most polished and perfected bit, and it's well worth the ticket price alone.

Without knowing it beforehand, there's absolutely no way you could have guessed this was his first major Edinburgh stand-up set. Whatever 'it' is, he's got it in spades.

Ali Plumb

Jack Whitehall is appearing at the Pleasance Courtyard until 30th August

a a Done reading? Not so fast! There's a SSP Fringe page to check out! one reading?

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