Ed Gamble: Mammoth

Ed Gamble’s Mammoth is a strong example of observational comedy at this year’s Fringe. Gamble is undeniably posh with a self-deprecating sense of humour. He claims to be a heavy metal fan but has what is known as a ‘’Coldplay face’’. He names his show Mammoth in an attempt to promote a more edgy and fierce persona but is brought down to earth by his girlfriend who says the title reminds her more of the actual furry animal who runs away. This is the general theme of this show.

A solid routine from a comedian that should do very well at this year’s festival.

Gamble delivers a number of excellent gags including his rating of different religious figures on the sex symbol scale; envying Jesus’s ‘’dick arrows’’, his tethered priest joke and his comparison of himself to an uncle at a barbecue as opposed to a metal head. He mocks his public school days of heckling local comprehensive students and his bassoon playing repertoire that consisted of Three Blind Mice. Gamble makes hilarious observations on the London Marathon challenging those who claim that ‘’running is a drug’’ and delivers a genius sketch on runners’ rehab.

He enjoys sharing his internal monologue with the audience and is constantly commenting on our reaction throughout the show, whether this is part of his self-deprecating routine or due to nerves or increasing self-awareness; he doesn’t need to worry so much as sometimes people find things funny without laughing out loud.

The highlight of the show for me is his post marathon massage story. This is the first time I have ever heard of someone having to ‘lick their way out’ of protective paper covering. Another gem was his experience of a spinning class with some of London’s yummy Mummies. A lot of Gamble’s jokes often seamlessly appear again throughout the show which demonstrates the amount of careful planning put into this clever piece of comedy. This is a solid routine from a comedian that should do very well at this year’s festival.