The Oxford Imps

Wandering around Edinburgh you may catch sight of a group of buoyant young performers sporting black t-shirts, singing and dancing their way through the streets with scant regard for their bemused onlookers. This completely unselfconscious attitude is vital in an improvised comedy act, and it has evidently helped improvised comedy group The Oxford Imps garner glowing reviews and large audiences at Edinburgh. Last year they won the Fringe Sell Out Show award, and judging by the packed 3 o'clock performance, getting a ticket to this year's show will prove equally challenging.

Director and compère Joseph Morpurgo holds the show together, giving the Imps just enough structure to turn out a string of off-the-cuff sketches matching the quality of many a carefully planned show. He coaxes random, one-word suggestions from the audience, which the rest of the Imps promptly transform into scenes, songs and full-blown films and musicals.

The Imps rarely fall flat and the odd hiccup in the free-flowing act is subtly glossed over or quickly integrated into the routine. Given the speed with which they are expected to link up one idea with another, their smoothly interlocking performance is no mean feat. The nature of improvised comedy means that there is no guarantee of the quality of one performance matching the standard of the next. Nonetheless, the Oxford Imps' speedy wit and their excellent rapport with one another make it a safe bet that they'll be just as much of a hit this year as they were in 2008.