Carl Donnelly was as surprised as anyone when his solid yet unspectacular stand-up act gained a spot on the Edinburgh Comedy Awards shortlist last Fringe. Little did observers know that the London comic was harbouring much pain with his marriage having broken down immediately prior to him heading north.

He returns looking at the world with new eyes (quite literally, as he discusses the laser surgery he underwent on his peepers recently) and this new show is about some strange incidents which have occurred in his orbit during the last 12 months, most of them falling resolutely into the ‘you couldn’t make it up’ category. A trip to India renders both horror and humour while closer to home, he stumbles his way into a genteel 40th birthday party in which a guest’s impromptu striptease goes drastically wrong. And if you want sound advice on how not to sample some shamanic tea, Carl’s your guy.

The joy in a Donnelly show is the loving detail with which he paints hysterical pictures for his audience, although his habit of overly setting the scene for an anecdote becomes a little distracting when he should just plunge straight in. But this is a minor quibble about an hour that is constantly funny and occasionally jaw-dropping.

Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 23 Aug (not 13), 8.30pm, £8.50--£10 (£7--£9).