I think it would be fair to say that you could describe Alasdair Beckett-King's look as distinctive without worrying that a defamation charge will land in your inbox. Long auburn/copper hair, mud-coloured corduroy suit. It's not your typical stand-up comedian's appearance. And needless to say Beckett-King skilfully milks it for every possible chuckle in the opening warm-up section of his latest show King of Crumbs.

This, however, is just the amuse-bouche before the comedy main course, which finds this master of gentle whimsy with a side serving of surrealism on great form. There's no hard and fast theme to his show, but everything is artfully constructed, with early asides seeding major pay-offs later. He is great with language too. It's not every day you hear a comedian refer to rapscallions and bathyscapes. One brilliantly original running gag is a noisy neighbour living above the venue. 

Beckett-King's fame has grown thanks to his online skits, and he uses animation and clips onstage to great effect too, putting a ridiculous amount of effort and creativity into the slightest of sight gags, or something completely off the wall, such as imagining that Jim Carrey's The Mask is Scottish. No wonder Stewart Lee has called him "clockwork comedy perfection."

Elsewhere there are more conventional one-liners and wordplay with echoes of Mark Simmons and Tim Vine. He is not afraid to subvert the format. There is also a gag with the punchline before the set-up. The writing is stupendously silly yet also sharp and lean, without a word wasted, whether suggesting marketing slogans for various birds or trying to champion the concept of 'sad jokes'. 

There's a lightness of touch in the wistful moments that has echoes of John Shuttleworth, but Beckett-King in full flow really is like nobody else. If you are looking for top class corduroy-clad fun which will have you laughing from start to finish seek out ABK and your quest will be over.

Touring. Dates here. 

Picture by Edward Moore

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