Kumail Nanjiani

Pakistan-born Kumail Nanjiani lives and performs in the US, and this is his first visit to Edinburgh. His first acute observation about Fringe flyers might not be wholly representative of the mainly anecdotal nature of the rest of his material, but it serves as a gentle introduction to the way his brain works.

Nanjiani is constantly stumped by life’s contradictions. His love of horror films comes to the fore many times during his set, and a tale about investigating his attic looking for an intruder armed with only a colander and a butcher knife displays a vulnerability, a loveable honesty and a real knack for a funny story. Much is made of his Pakistani origins, but with a contemporary twist on growing up in the 1980s. Remember the first time you saw a naughty video? So does Kumail, but I’m willing to bet you didn’t have Muslim parents and a VCR prone to power cuts.

There’s some work to be done in structuring this hour a little better, but this is a marvellous peek into the mind of a great storyteller with excellent delivery and genuine talent.