BBC Three Comedy Marathon

At the Edinburgh Fringe 2012

More Marlon Davis videos

Winner of the FHM Search For A Stand-Up Hero Competition in 2009. In 2006, he was a finalist in both the So You Think You're Funny and Laughing Horse new act competitions.

Marlon Davis: Fringe 2012
Live Review
Pleasance Courtyard

A relative newcomer to the circuit, Marlon Davis's Fringe debut shows an animated, relaxed comedian who is almost impossible to dislike.

The show got off to a rocky start as Davis tried crowd work with two burly, bald-headed men who alone had dared to sit on the front row. They looked confrontational and the jokes stumbled to awkwardness as a visibly wary Davis tried to direct attention elsewhere. Crowd work can be hard, and any performer must be able to deal with whoever's in front of them - after all, they hold the mic.

However, things picked up with the first story about arriving in Edinburgh hitting the mark. The whole audience knew his pain as he related being hoodwinked by the estate agent and living so far out he needed to purchase a bike. Moving swiftly into the bike story, it had the feel of the opening to a horror movie, with continuously increasingly levels of tension complete with the occasional gasp.

Davis is a fantastic storyteller: his disarming style warms you to him and his no-holds-barred approach to his self-deprecatory yarns allows you to laugh at his expense without any awkwardness.

The old adage of writing about what you know is usually embraced with open arms by young comics, and Davis is no exception, mainly sticking to the well-trodden ground of domestic life, love, and his son. It's sufficiently entertaining but it's nothing we've not seen before and is far from his strongest material.

The biggest laugh of the night came from a tale about his first stand-up gig, which was beautifully performed with enough hilarious imagery to reduce the crowd to tears. It is the mother of all embarrassing stories and surely dwarfs any other comic's tale of a gig gone wrong. It also shows Davis at his best, which makes us all the more aware of when he doesn't hit the mark.

The set is light-hearted and good natured, but suffers from predictable jokes and material. The style and delivery is all there, and in a room of 'funny story' tellers Davis surely has some of the funniest but there's a sense he could be more than this.

Seen him a couple times at the Fym Fyg bar and always has new stuff and always makes us laugh.

Chris, October 2010

Saw him on the 5th June at Banana Cabaret. Hit the spot! Very funny and so likeable.

Goose, June 2010

Just saw your video - great set!

Joe, January 2010

Opened for us last month, and absolutely stormed the room. If you're a promoter, book him. If you're a punter, pay to see him. Brilliant.

Bob, Gigglers Comedy Club, November 2009

Saw him at The Comedy Store, enjoyable and very funny

Jay, March 2007

I saw him at a gig for Comic Irrigation in Edinburgh. It was a packed house. He was fantastic. The last act and it was wild. Superb!

Wanda, September 2006

Saw him in Edinburgh as part of The Comedy Reserve. There weren't many of us in the audience but he was easily the funniest out of the four. My friends and I found him so endearing, for 20 minutes you sit transfixed the world he lives in. There are familar themes from black culture but he talks about them from a fresh stance.

Kim, September 2006

Fastly developing into a classy and talented stand up comedian, will go on to became great! Funny, likable, and charming

Lateef Lovejoy, June 2006