Punt and Dennis

As Punt and Dennis' audience roll into the packed Pleasance One auditorium, they're confronted by a stage adorned with objects carefully chosen to represent the state of 'Britishness' today. These include a shopping basket full of groceries, a football placed on a mini-Olympic podium and a large map of Britain, and this really tells you everything you need to know about the duo's performance before it even begins.

The crowd are overwhelmingly made up of fans of Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt's two more famous comedic offerings: Radio 4's The Now Show and BBC2's Mock the Week. But Punt and Dennis: Stuff and Nonsese is sadly devoid of the quick-witted genius that makes both those programmes such triumphs. When Punt and Dennis appear on stage, their set proceeds to count down a checklist of tired comic material: Auntie Beeb takes a swift kick in the shin, as do posh boys who say 'rugger', ITV phone-in competitions and Tessa Jowell's atrocious Olympic budgeting strategy.

Their delivery might be slick, but their repetoire is not: these are all observations and gags that we feel like we've heard before – probably on Punt and Dennis' radio or TV shows – and they don't quite sustain the momentum of their 60 minute slot. Of course, this review is of little consequence: Punt and Dennis' four-night run will soon have ended, most likely sold-out at every show.

But that doesn't detract from the fact that Punt and Dennis: Stuff and Nonsense should be at least a reliably funny way to spend an hour, if not a clever, humourous take on modern politics. Instead, it's a flat, though polished, performance that's stuffed with overworked and ultimately disappointing jokes.