Tim Fitzhigham: Hellfire (Edinburgh Fringe)

Tim Fitzhigham is wonderfully eccentric. He puts arguably more effort into his annual Fringe show than the rest; this year’s adventures including wangling a trip to Oman in an ultimately fruitless treasure hunt, getting shot at by the Iranian navy on the way, and sledging down a ski slope in Switzerland sans sledge.

It's a shame, then, that his show Hellfire isn't a bit more, well, firey. Fitzhigham is a master storyteller, no doubt about that, and his passion for whatever he turns his mind to is impressive. The painstaking detail that he goes into in his quest for anecdotes is amazing, as he tells us of feats undertaken in the name of art (and plain old curiousity).

The premise is an interesting one; he's received two cryptic letters since his last show – which detailed numerous historical wagers he'd attempted – which he tries to unravel and take up the gauntlet that they throw down.

It leads to the discovery of the Hellfire Club, an 18th Century gang for high societal hellraisers, and the bets that members undertook. Fitzhigham tells a good tale, his obvious enthusiasm for the subject becoming infectious, yet at one stage he says "is this supposed to be a show" as if he himself isn't quite sure.

An enjoyable hour though it is, it doesn't quite live up to previous shows of his, although I look forward to seeing what madcap things he gets up to next year.

Tim Fitzhigham Hellfire runs at the Pleasance Dome, until 25 August

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