Earlier on Sunday, the words “it’s coming home” from Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s footy anthem “Three Lions” once again echoed across the UK. Yet that very evening, on stage at the Edinburgh Fringe, Skinner makes no reference to the Lionesses’ World Cup loss. Given he’s a breezy improviser, with no dearth of football material in his reflective show 30 Years of Dirt, it’s an odd choice. On stage, he ricochets from tangent to tangent, frequently chuckling at his own jokes. It’s as if Skinner is playing it by ear, disappearing down whatever rabbit hole he feels like in the moment. He’s having a ball; our enjoyment is a bonus.
As the show’s title suggests, this is Skinner’s chance to show off the comic skill he’s honed over his three-decade career. His hour consists of a loose collection of anecdotes – nearly all true, he tells us, because he doesn’t have the imagination for anything else – paired with some groan-worthy puns and cheeky crowd work. Dressed casually in a dark suit with a red T-shirt, he barely breaks a sweat on stage, making it all look easy. Bar a short mime section and a physical bit about lateral flow tests, it’s a fairly static affair. But what Skinner lacks in visual intrigue, he makes up for with his knack for improvisation, his instantly recognisable voice still drawing the audience in.
