David Baddiel: Fame: Not the Musical (Tour – Salford)

After 25 years of being famous, it’s unsurprising that writer and comedian David Baddiel has enough witty anecdotes about celebrity to fill an entire show. Fame: Not The Musical is Baddiel’s return to stand-up after a few years spent focused on writing novels and films. This time away from the spotlight has led the comic to the belief that "people assume that fame left you, never the other way around".

Baddiel illustrates this point with deeply funny tales of strangers' reactions towards him in recent non-TV years, including a tramp who greets him with, "David Baddiel. Thought you were dead." The show is neither celebration nor whinge about celebrity, but a presentation of the idea that famous people are often viewed as two dimensional, pantomime versions of themselves.

By talking us through the absurdity of fame, of what happens when it creeps into areas of your life that it shouldn't (Aldi, Auschwitz and the bedroom), Baddiel shows us the complexities of his character that, through the eyes of others, being famous strips away.

Unsurprisingly for a comic who is no stranger to performing at Wembley Arena, Baddiel’s delivery is assured and accomplished. He is easy company with the air of a mate in the pub, spinning his latest "you’ll never believe what happened this time" yarn as he shakes his head at the ridiculousness of his own position. The laughs come often, with Baddiel as the punchline. It's not self-deprecating, it's brilliantly honest.

Through tales of mistaken identity, Twitter trolls and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Baddiel takes us through the looking glass and shows us what it's like from the inside. For a show that's about how fame can be dehumanising, David Baddiel emerges in 3D, as father, brother, Peter Gabriel fan. Oh, and as a very funny, very smart comedian.

David Baddiel continues touring the UK until 4 April. Tour dates are here.

– Sara Cocker