Former street entertainer, actor and creator of podcast The Comedian’s Comedian, Stuart Goldsmith’s current routine appears in essence to be about the perpetual development of the routine itself.

He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, who immediately creates a convivial and casual atmosphere, interacting with the crowd straight away. It’s a bit like listening to a friend of yours tell jokes down the pub, while willing them to do well.

Since he was last in Oxford he has got married and had a baby – joking that his wife got “tactically” pregnant – and much of the routine focuses on both the joys and tedious nature of bringing up children, as well as the challenges of moving in with a partner.

He makes amusing observations on the differences between how mums and dads interact with each other; and describes scenarios probably relatable to all parents, such as taking your child for unnecessary family walks, just to say you have done so and feel that you have accomplished a necessary part of parenting.

During the evening he is not so much heckled as repeatedly interrupted by a man who seemed a little worse for wear, yet he handles it well.

Admitting that he is recording the evening on his phone to play back to himself later, some of the funniest moments are when he steps back from the audience and leans over his phone to give well observed notes to himself on what jokes went well and what fell flat, talking about himself in all three tenses in the process.

A definite work in progress, the second act was actually optional, but everyone came back after the interval. Stuart had his remaining new material on flashcards and randomly picked out unrelated jokes to try out on us, with varying degrees of success.

There is nothing ground-breaking here, but nothing too controversial, challenging or offensive either, as so many comedians seem to be striving for at the moment.

If you are looking for a pleasant, gentle evening of comedy you are in safe hands with Stuart.

NAOMI LANIGHAN 3/5

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Stuart Goldsmith’s Comedian’s Comedian podcast has more than eight million downloads and sees him interviewing other comics, such as Russell Brand, Jimmy Carr and Russell Howard, pinning them down on how they create their material and how they cope with a creative life. comedianscomedian.com/