It might seem disingenuous to describe Rhys Nicholson as steady, given their mental-health wobbles, occasional drug misadventures and non-binary identity. Not only is the Australian one of the safest bets for a Fringe hour packed full of witty indiscretion, uproarious anecdotes and cuttingly tart cultural commentary, but they got married last year and are now constantly being badgered by friends and relatives about when they're going to settle down and start a family.

Acutely perceptive on the self-serving lies parents try to tell the childless to inveigle them into their cult and furiously resentful of the way that kids are foisted onto auntie Rhys at Christmas, the comic still clings to the idea of living free of such ties in a witchy commune somewhere. Very funny on the heteronormative agenda of fairytales and the confusions of JK Rowling, Nicholson is also blackly hilarious on the vainglorious pursuits of billionaires and their occasional tragedies.

The ups and downs of their lifetime’s medication for health issues, many self-inflicted, are a gas, while the revelation that the comic was a teenage pornographer is beautifully related. As ever, the tightly written routines are festooned with deliciously gossipy asides and topper after topper gags, with the animated comic charismatically grabbing the audience’s attention from the off and never releasing.

This review was originally written in 2024 for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Rhys Nicholson: Huge Big Party Congratulations! will be performed at Hindley Street Music Hall from Thursday 13 - Saturday 15 March, 7pm.