Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Rob Preston is a discomforting presence even before he gets his debut show going. As the audience files in, he sits almost motionless in the corner, scanning each face with a semi-intimidating, unknowable stare. 

The characters here also bring a slight air of unease, usually born from a feeling that they have found themselves askew from the world, possibly from having spent a little too long in online bubbles and having an unhealthy sense of masculinity.

His running character of pub quizmaster Bobby Prezinsky immediately feels nervously benign – if a bit too eager to please and with a woefully misguided ambition to take over from Alexander Armstrong on Pointless. But a dark side emerges from behind his impenetrably obscure questions and palpable desperation. And what should we read from the fact his name is so close to his creator’s? Bizarrely, he has a go at rewriting 1984 and Heated Rivalry – although the latter’s naively bad sex prose is not a patch on fellow comedy character Christopher Bliss’s.

It’s an unwritten rule that every character comedian must do a lifestyle guru, and Preston’s is a South African (so he gets to do the accent) business leader, inspired by the macho-capitalist world epitomised by Diary Of A CEO. He talks about ‘vibes’, talent, and burnishing his LinkedIn profile. Meanwhile, a nepo baby, speaking in a faux Jamaican patois despite being whiter and richer than double cream, unveils plans for his ‘peng’ clothing range. 

We meet a xenophobic barber, and an Afghan war veteran who doesn’t like to talk about his time in the military (spoiler: he does), while the odd quickie, such as a Traitors contestant or a madcap mashup of all manner of online conspiracy theories and snake oil, varies the pace, although a few more of these would be welcome. And there’s uncomfortably intense audience participation for one poor soul plucked from the bleachers.

Preston performs them all with a restrained intensity, keeping them credible despite teetering on the edge of sanity or beyond. But although this is a strong calling card for his talents as a comic actor, none of the characters is quite memorable enough for life beyond this well-observed hour.

Review date: 27 Aug 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard