Rosco McClelland begins How Could Hell Be Any Worse? by explaining that he poured everything into his last Fringe show, one that included a revelation about his diagnosis of Long QT (sometimes known by the less-formal and more-horrific sobriquet ‘sudden death syndrome’). He says that he needed to ease off this Fringe and he starts his new show by lamenting that, while the past year was good for him professionally, it was not a good one for him personally. On the plus side, he won the prestigious Sir Billy Connolly Spirit Of Glasgow Award, a cachet that puts him in the legendary esteem of Susie McCabe and Janey Godley. And he demonstrates just how he achieved that with this engrossing hour packed with smart observations and hilarious stories.

His mum recently bought a robot vacuum, and this innocuous purchase provides golden subject matter as McClelland’s imagination takes him (and his mum’s Roomba) on a glorious journey out into the wider countryside. Other incidents provoke him into a rage, most notably the arrest, on terrorism charges, of fellow comedian Susan Riddell (although he still manages to turn this into a hilarious routine, expressing solidarity through humour). This is a jam-packed, full-throated hour from one of the country’s best acts.

Rosco McClelland: How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Monkey Barrel Cabaret Voltaire, until 24 August, 8.05pm; main picture: Nick Gibb.