^{Picture: Piers Alladyce}

Halfway through his debut Fringe show, Finlay Christie declares, ‘most comedians at the Fringe will be telling you how shit everything is and that young people are cunts’. Indeed, there’s enough observational comedy about how the world is burning right now to fill your Fringe schedule. Christie is a little bit of joy amid the cynicism.

His show looks at the much-maligned Gen Z, with a level of self-awareness that belies his 23 years. Bucking the comedy trend, Christie has a convincing argument in defence of Gen Z, touching on the struggles of sliding into people’s DMs at online uni and creating TikTok videos during our slow apocalypse. Perhaps a white, privately-educated male shouldn’t be tackling subject matter like the #MeToo movement, but Christie has enough perception and comic finesse to pull it off, leaving women in the audience nodding along. 

It's his clever toying with language and labels that get the biggest and most appreciative laughs. Audio-visual accompaniments are used sparingly and just at the right moment, including some ‘aww’-inspiring footage of his first forays into stand-up as a seven-year-old. Above all, his optimism and good nature is infectious, which sets him apart from the crowd.

Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 28 August, 6pm.