Edinburgh Festival: Comedy - Count Arthur Strong and Terry Titter: You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!

Gilded Balloon, Venue 38, (0131-226 2151) 6.30pm, to 30 Aug

The 30-year rift between the two just about repaired, Hartlepool theatrical impresario Count Arthur Strong and his loveable Scouse protege, the stand- up Terry Titter, present their lecture on the dramatic and comedic arts.

Showbiz nuggets tumble forth: the importance of enunciation, of hitting your mark, of pre-show defecation, and of the spine. The pair could go on, but the Count, you see, isn't blessed with the RP speaking voice that he advocates - his oral wrestle with the treacherous vowels of the word "masterclass" is tragic to behold. What's more, Terry's cheery contributions - obscene limericks and mother-in-law gags - often degenerate into a stream of expletives directed at his audience and his unappreciative colleague. Which isn't to mention the fleeting appearance of camp Malcolm, the Count's new star hope...

Bernard Chumley and Alexi Sayle's Bobby Chariot are the obvious comparisons here. Neither, however, match the loving detail brought to the characters of the Count and Terry. As a sustained portrait of light entertainment failure and incompetence, the show itself occasionally falters but, for the most part, it's as hilarious as it is excruciating.