The first joke that springs to mind when Canadian comic Graham Clark appears is a Bill Bailey classic on pogonophobia: the fear of beards. Clark’s ragged, overlong facial hair (Wizzard/Santa Claus cracks must now plague him) is the first point of call for his comedy. He explains that he now fits in with the homeless crowd and was “tired of being employed” so grew his goatee.

This instantly gets us on board, as Clark’s desert-dry delivery makes trivial comments on food, fitness and family hilarious – a master of deadpan. As a performer, he’s also one of the most disarming and unintimidating stand-ups, completely at ease on the stage and content for the audience to get involved and chat. He encourages it, in fact.

What’s more, this set really is a paradigm of comic timing. Gags on seals, raw vegans and Blackpool could seem abstract and misplaced in most shows but Clark has a raconteur’s gift, able to fuse almost any story and fix all tangents to a central thread in the same way Billy Connolly was famous for.

Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, until 26 Aug, 7pm, £9–£10 (£8-£9).