Twenty-six-year-old standup Tom Ballard was recently invited to host Australia’s version of Question Time, he tells us – before marvelling at how ill-equipped he is to do so. That’s characteristic of the curious combination of political stridency and strenuous humility in Ballard’s Edinburgh comedy award-nominated show. It’s a strong set, but it oscillates between ambitious state-of-the-world comedy and efforts to reassure us that – don’t worry, guys – Ballard doesn’t know what he’s talking about and is only joking anyway.
It starts gently, with material on predictive text messaging and booze. Soon, we’re easing into the politics, although the first time Ballard shows his ideological hand, he makes sure to follow up with a Justin Bieber punchline. There’s more of that – leftwing opinion swiftly undercut for laughs. But at least the laughs keep coming, including a choice joke about how to rage against Rage Against the Machine.
There’s provocative material, too – as when Ballard contrasts the respective ambitions of Isis and Hillary Clinton – even if we’re never as provoked as he keeps telling us we are. A later set piece combining euthanasia and suicide bombing is crudely manufactured for outrage, but Ballard’s delivery – charged silence before idea detonates – is expert. The mix of glibness and conviction is awkward, but it remains an enjoyable set, and Ballard is clearly going places.
- At Assembly George Square, Edinburgh, until 28 August. Box office: 0131-226 0000.
