Stuart Goldsmith @ PBH Free Fringe, Liquid Room Annexe

End Of marks Stuart Goldsmith’s 25th consecutive year at the Edinburgh Fringe and his mastery of the craft is clear throughout a solidly entertaining hour.

Mainly focusing on being newly married and with a young and growing family, the show comprises of strong material punctuated with a couple of standout routines about – of all things – parental end-of-life care and a friend’s diagnosis with a terminal illness. For his ability to genuinely pull off original humour in these compelling existential topics, Goldsmith should be commended.

It’s not all depth and nuance though, and perhaps that’s a shame. While other routines about trying to make 'dad friends' and driving home from comedy gigs are entertaining enough, they’re also slightly predictable at times. It’s when he puts an original spin on a pertinent topic that Goldsmith is at his best: one memorable routine sees him reimagine the oft-explored idea that nobody really knows what they’re doing in adulthood as an extended metaphor involving groups of explorers on a mountain, to great comic effect.

Combined with his sometimes theatrical physical delivery and droll self-appraisal, though, all his material is well-delivered and equally well-received. Goldsmith is a comedian who understands comedy inside out.

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Stuart Goldsmith: End Of, PBH Free Fringe, Liquid Room Annexe (Warehouse), 4-26 Aug (not 16), 2:50pm, Free

Scroll on to read more of The Skinny's 2018 Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews; click here for a round-up of all the best reviews from this year's comedy and theatre programmes