Ben Davis cuts quite a figure on stage, a lanky Lancashire bloke with a quietly spoken, low-key delivery that can leave the audience uncertain, but it actually indicates a quiet confidence in his distinctive, if still-developing material.

He is one of the more inventive, challenging newer acts; not an obvious crowd-pleaser, but someone who takes his routine in genuinely unexpected directions. The oblique approach is all the more rewarding because of its originality.

His low-energy approach gives the - possibly false - impression that he isn't firing on all cylinders, but he clearly has potential.