Despite mining the depths of despair for material, this might be the warmest hour of comedy you’ll see at the Fringe this year. Gail Porter takes us on a meandering journey from the primary school bullies who called her ‘snobby Porter’ to being involuntarily sectioned and hunting for ghosts with unhinged psychics in the US. Porter jumps from topic to topic, throwing in off-the-cuff memories and thoughts as she goes. The informal, chatty style doesn’t have a lot of structure, but her bubbly personality keeps it an engaging watch.

We get a peek behind the curtain of her TV persona as she’s brazenly honest about her opinions of fellow Big Brother contestants, and upfront about the weird characters who populate paranormal investigative TV. Even when she talks about her darkest moment (being sectioned, homeless and mentally unwell), it’s with a smile and a laugh. Speaking of bringing her dad’s ashes back from Spain, she breaks down into tears. Shouts from the audience encourage her to go on and you can feel the support and emotional investment in this room.

There are laughs, there are audible gasps and there are quiet tears. The show really picks up in the final 15 minutes, when it feels as though Porter has settled in and is willing to expose the most vulnerable moments of her career. At this point, we fully realise we’re not here for the biggest laughs and most outrageous jokes of the Fringe, but a story about being messy, imperfect and human.  

Gail Porter: Hung, Drawn And Portered, Assembly George Square Studios, until 28 August, 7pm.