Stand-up comedian George Ryegold at Chortle's Fast Fringe

Clip from 2009 Edinburgh Fringe show

More George Ryegold videos

George Ryegold: Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead - Fringe 2009
Live Review

George Ryegold’s Edinburgh debut is presented as a medical lecture from a physician with all the sensitivity and bedside manner of Harold Shipman.

Delicate medical complaints – inevitably involving excretions, secretions or engorged sexual organs – are described in uncompromisingly graphic detail. On the surface of it, he tries to be delicate, using a combination of elaborate euphemism, dry textbook terminology and an educated command of the adjective. But the formality of the language only heightens the hideous mental images: the bottom line is that he is as sick as Jim Jeffries, but with the vocabulary of Stephen Fry.

The basis of the show lies in the tradition of medical revue, in which ribald students joking about the gruesome with no sense of decorum – nor, indeed wit. But Ryegold has single-handedly made it classy, offering a considered antidote to shock-for-shock’s sake humour, while still referencing the same ikky subjects.

Fans of Viz’s Profanisaurus might enjoy such expressions as ‘tumescent plum-cupboard’, among countless others, as he discusses such troubling conditions as recto-vaginal fistula, or the knotted hammock of pubic hair blocking the sphincter. Delightful.

Shock is a major factor, which obviously dims over time as his style becomes more familiar, and there are lulls as he tries to add variation. But routines such as his miserable rant at Third World charities don’t have the impact of the medical stuff.

While the comedy risks being one-note, it’s a note he strikes very well, with a perfectly credible persona of the heartless doctor now numbed to the suffering he sees, describing all with matter-of-fact detachment and an exquisite use of metaphor. The result is some of the most hilariously bad-taste lines of the festival, perhaps in need of more context and more texture, but a hugely accomplished debut.

Every time I see George perform I realise I still have a long way to go. His timing, delivery and rapport with the audience are spot on. A really funny and likable guy.

Kevin M, September 2009

Go see this show! George is amazing. Witty writing. Flawless delivery. And more than that he just tickles you in the places you won't expect. I saw him doing 20s many times over the last year and he never fell short of extraordinary. But yesterday at the Lion's Den was the first time i saw him doing the whole hour and i was stunned and impressed! Wonderful job! He is a joy to watch. George is the comics' favorite. He is very original act, he's got intelligent material, the amount of research he puts in it is awe-inspiring, and he is immensely talented. One of the few true gems of this year's Fringe. Trust me guys I'm very picky. George won't disappoint you. He knocks down barriers, breaks molds and pushes envelopes to the bursting limits of what is allowed to be said, but at the same time he doesn't just exploit filth, sex, swearing or rudeness - he's a true artist with the finesse of a scalpel.

Denis Krasnov, August 2009