Don’t believe what you hear: ventriloquism is so back. A one-man vaudevillian, Max Fulham (literally) dusts off his puppets for a hysterical hour. In Memory Foam, the comic takes a trip down memory lane, unpacking stowed-away boxes of rejected dummies and forgotten mementos from the life of his late grandfather, who acts as his crass felt companion here. For some, this might sound like an hour of heebie-jeebies but Fulham brings a fresh face to ventriloquism, with non-stop laughs and an impressive ability to breathe life into each creation.

Sifting through boxes, he conjures eccentric personalities with each emerging puppet, from the ‘Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert’ dummy that acts like a newsletter grew legs, to a crude Mona Lisa (who knew she had an Essex accent?). Through the bully-victim dynamic between him and his grandfather, Fulham proves himself a master of physical comedy, an impressive feat for someone playing two characters at once. And just when you think he can’t get any funnier, the puppet master concludes the show by inviting an audience member to take control of a dummy for a partly improvised, hilariously clumsy dance routine that earns a well-deserved standing ovation. 

Max Fulham: Memory Foam, Pleasance Dome, until 31 August, 7pm; picture: Karla Gowlett.