Simon Donald's Dirty Great Fringepiece

Stand up comedians with a previous career in the arts are often harder to take seriously. But then again, Simon Donald was never worried about being taken seriously. And now the co-creator of Viz is trying his hand at stand-up as a character comic.

This seemingly natural progression is narrated by Donald as he describes his Viz life whilst peppering in some new characters with some old favourites. The show is very hit-and-miss and seemed more to pander to the comics long-standing fanbase than to gather a new one. His style is often silly and juvenile but Donald juxtaposes this with some more satirical humour which more often than not misses the mark.

With an indisputably comic mind and a room full of Viz fans, Donald should be firing on all cylinders with the laughs coming thick and fast. Unfortunately for him they never do. He's a stand-up still haunted by the ghost of his previous life looking over his shoulder.