AMOS is now a regular fixture at the Edinburgh Fringe, where I first saw him several years ago. I carried away fond memories of his ability to make people laugh and wondered if much had changed in the intervening years.

It has. He's even funnier.

This was the last gig in his current tour, and he's now heading down under to repeat the exercise in the hot Aussie sunshine. If you get to see him when he returns to the UK but haven't been to an Amos gig before be warned: avoid booking into the first few rows if you don't want to become part of his act.

Stephen Amos takes his inspiration from real life - yours included. Amos has that rare comedic talent that has you grinning from the moment he takes the stage - which he does with a supreme confidence of a man who knows how to make people laugh. And the audience certainly did a lot of that.

Despite its flat-floor seating and low stage, the Pavilion Ballroom is a good venue for this type of act - more intimate than a huge auditorium, and who needs to see a stand-up comedian's feet anyway?