Chris Cantrill @ Monkey Barrel

Cheeky, baby-faced Bradford lad Chris Cantrill is best known for being one part of award-nominated The Delightful Sausage. Known for their surreal style, Cantrill’s debut hour as a solo act is something of a departure from what you might be used to with Sausage. When it’s at its best, it’s a heartfelt and often heart-warming hour (though the Sausage in him still emerges, making the odd dark, jarring comment whenever his material strays into the sincere).

Cantrill is a married man and a dad of two, and it’s this familial material which stands out from the rest. You get the sense that his five-year-old son is his pride and joy, and he often takes centre stage in the show. However, Cantrill laments that his son can be a little conservative in his love for his dad. He also shares with us some of the big changes he’s been going through, including a move out from the big city to life in the countryside. He’s even been selflessly supporting his ageing parents-in-laws by co-running their bed and breakfast (or is it for totally selfless reasons?). But this more solid material is sandwiched between weaker elements where the show can sometimes lose its way.

There is some great potential in The Bad Boy, but Cantrill still needs to find his feet as a solo act. There are times when jokes feel a little underdeveloped – and you get the sense that if he’d spent that little bit longer with them, it could be a stronger show. As it is, The Bad Boy feels like something closer to a work in progress than a fully-fledged Edinburgh hour. But as a comic with already-proven comedy chops, you still won’t go wrong spending an hour with Cantrill this Fringe.

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Chris Cantrill: The Bad Boy, Monkey Barrel (The Studio), until 28 Aug (not 17), 4.20pm, £7-9