one4review | On 21, Aug 2025

There’s an explosion of panel-style shows at the Fringe this year, and standing out is no easy task. Shrink Wrapped does it with a clever twist: part comedy showcase, part live therapy session, part panel chaos — and somehow it all works.

The premise is deceptively simple: get a powerhouse host, invite three comedians, and then add the secret sauce — an academic psychologist ready to dissect what’s really going on inside a comic’s head. Where does the material come from? What’s lurking beneath the punchline? And then, of course, throw in a live audience to keep things unpredictable.

First up, host and brainiac Robyn Perkins is a delight. She’s the alpha in this particular tribe, warm but in control, ruling the roost with charm and authority. Tonight she also doubles as one of the comics, slipping in a tight five alongside her guests.

The lineup is strong: ISH Award-nominated Danny Ward, whose skewed worldview lands perfectly; the excellent Ollie Horn, riffing on escape rooms, diabetes, and GCSE results; and Perkins herself, proving she’s more than capable of holding her own.

The real masterstroke, though, is Dr Sam Clark — a New Zealand therapist with an academic background and the comic timing of someone who could easily have a second career on stage. His role is to analyse the sets immediately after they’re performed, teasing out what the material reveals, offering insights, and occasionally firing back when challenged by the comics. It’s sharp, illuminating, and very, very funny.

What follows feels like a group session like no other — comedians pushing back on Clark’s analysis, spinning it into fresh gags, sometimes even conceding he might be onto something. The back-and-forth is hilarious, like therapy notes being scribbled in real time with a heckler’s pen.

Overall, Shrink Wrapped is so much fun. Will you leave with all the answers? No. But you’ll walk out with a sharper sense of how comedians’ minds work — and maybe a better understanding of why they can’t stop mining their lives for laughs.

****
Reviewed by Steve H
Venue The Counting House
Time 20.45
Until date 24th Aug