Andy Zaltzman boldly unbuttons the cloak of civilisation, but is perplexed and perturbed by what he finds lurking beneath

A clownish purveyor of faintly titillating doom and gloom, Andy Zaltzman operates in the mould of pamphleteering political comedy. He has a simple routine: introduce a contemporary current affairs subject, make a sarcastic gag or comic metaphor about it and move on to the next topic. His turns of phrase and knack for colourful similes render this initially entertaining. Indeed, his Daily Bugle "audio newspaper" podcast with fellow political comedian, John Oliver has garnered a huge online following, and Zaltzman's trenchant barbs are largely to thank for this.

While Zaltzman is undoubtedly gifted in the art of the acerbic social observation, his slavish devotion to his surreal extended metaphors frequently defies belief. As we break for the interval, the prospect of another forty minutes of his relentless comic sermonising seems rather daunting. Happily we're awarded a change of format. A mock awards ceremony for various political figures ensues, culminating in Zaltzman's tokenistic admission of his own complicity in the world's social ills.

In the cutely-titled Andy Zaltzman Boldly Unbuttons the Cloak of Civilisation, But Is Perplexed and Perturbed By What He Finds Lurking Beneath, Zaltzman has shifted gear somewhat from his tiresome Bush and Blair bashing of previous year's performances. However the material doesn't stray appreciably far from his reliable arena of lefty comedy, and this is disappointing. The perceptive brain housed behind that vast forehead of his must surely be able to offer more than a series of dry punch-lines on current affairs.