Howard Read - Light, Shade, Lemonade

Put simply, Howard Read is awful in bed but can draw rather well and is handy at talking to people in a humourous way. The result is a show in which he proudly boasts of his tendency to jump the gun and draws irreverent sketches to make people chuckle.

The first twenty minutes or so are essentially scriptless and involve Read interacting with the audience in a rather matey way. There's a big cheer when he asks if there are any middle class people in. His other show at the festival involves a sketched character and a giant pencil for the kids so, understandably, he lets himself go with a more adult audience: there's no room for prudes once he gets onto his second half hour of utter filth. Ironically, as he points out, his series of jokes about premature ejactulation lasts for ages, half an hour in fact, which is perhaps too much for some. That said you have to respect a man who spends thirty minutes talking to an audience about what appears to be a genuine problem.

Read's skill as an illustrator is evident in some of the irreverent flipchart sketches he draws. Ever wondered what a t-rex in a bed looks like or a disabled bumblebee with a jet pack? For under nine pounds you can find out. The show is by no means gold dust but sex is always funny, especially when it is so honestly portrayed.