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Welcome to the world of The Delightful Sausage, a comedy duo with a knack for eccentric one-liners, delectably weird set-ups and an oddball eye for storytelling that would make Tim And Eric jealous. The ingredients of this sausage are Amy Gledhill and Christopher Cantrill, who were nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award in 2019. This latest hour, Nowt But Sea, finds them smashing through a set with the confidence of household names. 

In keeping with their flair for dark absurdism, the show takes on the structure of an A-grade episode of The Mighty Boosh, starting with a brief slice of warm-up material before launching into a high-stakes adventure as the pair get stranded on a private island owned by a celebrity agent. The premise may sound vague on paper but, without wanting to spoil any of their many surprises, it’s plotted with the intricacy and satisfying pay-off of a great sitcom. Jokes that seemed to be one-offs reappear half an hour later fully formed, and the strange bricolage of sight gags littered throughout the set helps build to a riotous and dark finale. These aren’t simple call-backs; they’re the backbone of the most fun tale you’ll hear this Fringe. 

^{Picture: Ed Moore}

The glue holding everything together is Gledhill and Cantrill’s classic double-act chemistry, which paints them both as stupid and self-important to varying degrees. Despite performing as selfish, needy grotesques, they’re clearly incredibly giving performers, regularly lining up gags for each other to knock out of the park. ‘Are you willing to be generous and open-minded?’ asks Gledhill needlessly at the top of the show, as this duo could make the most reluctant audience member loosen up within minutes. 

The Delightful Sausage have been championed on Harry Hill’s Clubnite, and it’s easy to see why. Like the big-collared one in his prime, they’ve created a uniquely silly world and language, grounding it with lines about celebrity culture, the ‘smart and booby’ talents of Victoria Coren Mitchell, and visual gags that are as relentless as they are hilarious. There are no negatives here; this show is teeming with inventive jokes, is a visual treat and happens to be much cleverer than Gledhill and Cantrill let on. If you tuck into one sausage at the Fringe this year, make sure it’s as delightful as Nowt But Sea.

Monkey Barrel, until 28 August, 12.45pm.