1996 Perrier Comedy Award winner Milton Jones hasn’t exactly become an overnight success. He has had regular series on Radio 4 since winning the prize every Fringe comedian desires, but let’s face it – who hasn’t? No, it was the new Holy Grail of career achievement that has sold out the Assembly Hall tonight – appearances on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Mock the Week.
The loud shirts, tousled hair and crazed eyes seemingly create an eccentricity that he trades on but on closer inspection there is nothing strange or peculiar about his act. Jones is a good, old-fashioned, one-liner merchant, and the crowd love him. The air is filled with squeals, giggles and delighted groans for an hour as Jones effortlessly glides through his well-honed material. It is simple (“To help me with my history exams I hired a Private Tudor”), absurd (“I used to think a Kuala Lumpur was a cross between a koala and an Oompa Loompa – clingy but hardworking”) and corny (“They say manure is good for tomatoes but I think it ruins the sandwiches”). He sporadically breaks up the routine with the use of props, music, a flipchart and even a rare ad-lib but what makes the show work is the sheer fun of hearing this classic form of stand-up done very, very well.
4/5 
Ian Armstrong
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