A showbusiness lag of the old school, JD Shapiro is an inveterate name-dropper who’s had the luck, skill and hustle to meet and work with Hollywood legends. The screenwriter-turned-comedian got his big break through his dentist, who passed his script for Robin Hood: Men In Tights to Mel Brooks. And intriguingly, he’s still working on a screen project featuring the late superhero supremo Stan Lee. 

But it’s ultra-flop Battlefield Earth that’s the most eye-catching entry on his CV, his good grace in accepting its Razzie Award for Worst Picture Of The Decade indicative of the man. A tough upbringing forged his resilient, upstart optimism; though self-conscious, as he tells it, he held his own in verbal repartee with the likes of Billy Connolly and Robin Williams. 

There’s a snatch of scurrilous Michael Jackson gossip and the story of how Men In Tights missed out on a remarkable Sean Connery cameo is compelling. But rather too often, Shapiro can’t quite deliver the killer punchline on his celebrity encounters. 

Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 29 August, 9pm.