Stephen Grant has come second many times in his life.  Most notably he lost a presenting role on Top Gear to James May but he also had his agent persuade him not to take a role in a certain little sitcom based in an office.  But he remains upbeat in his role as life’s first runner up and bases his show around the notable upsides to coming second.  Because what do winners learn?  Their path in life is assured whereas those who come close but don’t quite make it have to learn from the experience, making them much more interesting people.  And Grant is certainly an interesting person.  He’s always someone I recommend to my own friends when they hit Edinburgh as I think he’s always entertaining.  He’s become known for starting his shows by letting a computer warm up the audience.  This involves Grant sitting offstage and interacting with the audience through a serious of questions and comic observations typed onto a big screen.  It’s a brilliant start to the show and means he has the audience onside as soon as he hits the stage.  Grant keeps the laughs coming throughout the show but it’s never quite at the same level of his opening gambit. His delivery is fast-paced as he works his way through exploring the difference between 1st and 2nd class mail, introducing the story of another Stephen Grant who knocked him off his no.1 position on Google and his plans to invent new ideas by slightly altering mechanisms which already exist.  The audience certainly enjoy it although at times he hits upon a topic which never quite raises the laughs he is perhaps aiming for.  Nevertheless it’s a decent show and I do hope that Grant doesn’t lose out this Fringe. ***
www.stephengrant.com