Fergus Craig Still Watches Neighbours

Apparently Fergus Craig still watches Neighbours. The Australian soap, that is, not anything of a more sinister nature. His show is less to do with voyeurism and more about personal analysis: why, after being introduced to Neighbours more than twenty years ago, is he still cheerfully watching? Craig intersperses clips of the soap with his own irreverent DVD commentary, in a celebration of the peculiarities of the show. Why, for example, do we only ever learn what happens on the even-numbered side of Ramsay Street?

Some might consider Neighbours an easy target, but Craig clearly has enormous and genuine affection for the show - if the audience is in any doubt, there is amusing video proof of his younger self immersed in the goings-on of Ramsay Street. As a performer, Craig is as warm and affable as Neighbours itself. The venue seems to be trying its best to imitate Australia’s sub-tropical climate, but Craig successfully quashes the audience’s discomfort with impromptu jokes about the shortcomings of performing in a disappointingly small and sweltering “Portakabin”.

Accessible even to those who have managed to resist the sunny lure of Ramsay Street, this is an unexpected and delightful comedy act. You'll certainly learn more about the antics of the show's cast of characters, from Harold Bishop's rap-induced heart attack to the tale of Paul Robinson's artificial leg. And if nothing else, it is the only one on the Fringe bound to result in non-ironic humming of 'Especially For You'.