Ever since her 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination as Best Newcomer for Venus, and with her star rising exponentially courtesy of numerous TV appearances over recent years (not least her well-earned victory on this year’s Taskmaster), there’s a real buzz about Sophie Duker and her sold-out Fringe show, Hag. After a gentle warm-up, she goes off on a number of tangents as if she’s holding back on the thrust of her show: a realisation about her sexuality.

^{Picture: Sarah Harry Isaacs}

Formerly identifying as bisexual, she recently realised that she’s pansexual. This all happened as a result of her experiences working as a comedian on a ‘lesbian cruise ship’. She repeatedly teases the precise catalyst of her sexual awakening as she cryptically and (as it turns out) rhetorically asks, ‘what happens on a lesbian cruise?’ While other confessional Fringe shows might go all-in on a frenzy of detail, Duker’s tale is more guarded and light on specifics. That’s absolutely her prerogative but it does feel like we’re skimming the surface of a story.

As she relates her experiences on the ship (where she was isolated from her loved ones, including her then-boyfriend, due to an absence of phone signal), she hints at the conflicting emotions and psychological disorientation of her situation. Duker embellishes her tale with theatrical vigour but doesn’t really get to the heart of the matter. Venus was always going to be a hard act to follow but this is still an enjoyable show from one of comedy’s most promising talents.

Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 August, 7.30pm; also 27 August, 10.40pm