Okay, hands up time, I had no idea who Pierre Novellie was! I realise that this highlights a rather large hole in my comedy knowledge but it is a mistake that I am thrilled to have corrected.

We were looking for a show to fill a time gap and one of my pals suggested this clown called Pierre who she had seen a few years ago and thought was pretty funny. Little did we know that she had just dropped the understatement of the 2017 Fringe.

Pierre entered the ‘crate’ in his scarlet smoking jacket and with a relaxed air that you normally only see with far more experienced clowns. His routine began and we were treated to a collection of well-crafted anecdotes and had me and my pals in stitches.

Effortlessly flowing from tales of his school days and the perils of carrying the same name as a character in the Tricolore book to his short lived career as a street sketch artist and a deep insight into the psyche of an airport ride-on toy, Pierre held the audience in the palm of his hand.

And even when he seemed to have misjudged the shows runtime, a quick save with a tale of an American family joining his on safari kept everyone entertained until the lights changed.

This routine is neither controversial nor challenging. What it is, however, is very, very funny. I cannot recommend this show or this clown highly enough… go see him!

Clown Stars: * * * * *

 @Pleasance This (The Crate), Edinburgh