Like several comedians before him, Tom Towelling is a teacher, and it’s the backbone of his fine debut. What links teaching and comedy, he asks? A big ego, he answers, though it doesn’t come across here, in a show heavy on audience interaction. The loose theme: Towelling wants to get to know his audience like he does his classes. He asks questions: favourite motorway? Any talents? Any maths whizzes in?. If he likes your answer, you’re handed a piece of wool that’s wrapped around his microphone, joining us as one. But that narrative thread loses its way in the middle, only loosely tied up with a groanworthy pun. 

All that is easy to forgive, though, when the hour is this much fun. Towelling jumps between songs, PowerPoint presentations and a ‘forbidden fruit joke’ that, should the audience choose to hear it, will constitute his big ending. Audience-reliant shows are a risky business. But even when things go in unexpected directions (as they often did here) Towelling handles it like a pro. It’s rough around the edges and the ideas don’t always knit together but few sets will make you laugh this much.

Tom Towelling Teaches You To Knit, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 August, 9.45pm; picture: Matt Stronge.