Ian D Montfort @ Pleasance Courtyard

After the huge success of hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury, Tom Binns returns to the Fringe to unveil his new character, Ian D Montfort the Sunderland Psychic.

Montfort is set up as a charlatan immediately, stumbling upon the obvious, making basic mistakes and channeling only celebrities with the help of his spirit guide Jeff. Psychics are an easy target but Montfort is at least as charming as he is dubious.

Once a comfortable scepticism has been established, however, he surprises everyone by going on to display some seemingly real feats of psychic perception. The knowing sneers give way to a less sure reaction, even some genuine wonder. That the show delivers a bit of magic in the mix is the genius twist here, playing with what the audience expect and how they want to react.

Binns is above all a gifted comic actor, utterly convincing right down to the creepy handshake on the way out. Montfort's show is less laugh-out-loud than Brackenbury's but the foundations are strong – no doubt there's a lot more from him to come.