With his white suit and black flowing locks, Steffan Alun cuts an impressive figure; reminiscent of the Man from Del Monte mashed with mercurial magician. Alun is no newcomer, having been on the circuit for over a decade and a Fringe attendee since 2015, yet this is his fringe debut comedy hour. Individual shows are expensive to stage, and as he explains – he’s Welsh! As a first language Welsh speaker he has the audience in stitches about his trips ‘abroad’ to the far flung locations of Bristol and Hull; his ‘sensible Celtic parenting’ having kept him shielded from the alien land across the Severn.

It’s clear he’s very proud of his heritage, his Welshness and his sexy druid wife,  but doesn’t shy away from questioning prejudice and injustice which are singled out with searing wit. Be that antipathy toward Kevin from the nasty boys in his Welsh language school or anti-Muslim bigotry at the fictional Hillview hotel in Neath.

Alun is a commanding figure and carries the room with wit and ease. From the very first minute, he’s in charge; directing seating arrangements and joshing with the audience. The set touches on a wide variety of topics, as he makes witty observations about the downright banale: from the band Steps to the tv show Naked attraction, dissecting and highlighting the absurdity in seemingly everyday topics.  The underlying deeper message is that small stories do matter and are often allegorical of much weightier issues. Hence, moving on to slightly meatier material, there is discussion about his bisexuality and his ADHD, with Alun managing to maintain a light and funny tone with the occasional flash of excoriating humour.

It’s an impressive, relaxed and highly entertaining hour with rolling laughter assured from the very first minute. No doubt Alun’s star will continue to rise.

‘Stand Up‘ is at Hoots @ The Apex – Hoot 4 until Mon 25 Aug 2025 at 21:30