David O’Doherty @ Pleasance Courtyard

David O'Doherty has come equipped with fascinating animal facts, mainly taken from his book 100 Facts About Pandas. He points out that he’s not a qualified zoologist, something which seems obvious to the huge crowd at the Pleasance, but was not so apparent to several book reviewers.

O'Doherty is now a Fringe legend and the festival is not complete without catching one of his gigs. There’s no ego on display, however. His opening lightshow consists of him holding a torch, his keyboard is still his battered 1986 Yamaha and the man himself remains a loveable emo dork.

The routine is what everyone has come to expect: free-wheeling whimsy, trivial nonsense, improvised songs and the reading of more fake panda trivia. The heartbreaking story of the running of the pandas at Pamplona brings a tear to the eye.

O'Doherty frequently compares himself to people with real jobs and describes his job as useless, but the satisfied crowd would probably disagree. The world needs more of what he has to offer.