Carl Donnelly, Now That's What I Carl Donnelly Vol. 5 @ The Lowry, 16 Mar

It’s surprising how much time a man can spend discussing his own bowel movements without sounding crass and puerile, but Carl Donnelly’s show makes many a mention of just that and avoids being a disgusting laddish affair peppered with crude anecdotes. Where lesser comics might end up with a real mess on their hands, Donnelly's confessional tell-all style endears him to the audience.

Literally and figuratively airing his dirty laundry, Donnelly takes us through his recent acrimonious divorce, his many trials with sickness and a stag do the night before, which has every right to derail his show with a monster hangover. He manages to keep the crowd onside despite letting them know that he’s a prick, be it to his ex wife, his mates or his family – Donnelly is just too damn likable to hate.

His style is an amiable ambling across material, explaining to the audience where he is going, what he’s going to cover, like a tour guide who’s just got the job and isn’t overly sure of where they might end up, only that it’ll be an adventure. Though the show suffers from some excess flab that could be trimmed back to a much tighter set, Donnelly is nothing if not a good host, with a penchant for seeing the good in even the most terrible of situations.