@ Movement, Edinburgh until Sat 29 Aug 2015 @ 19:30

There have been some great panel shows at the Fringe this year.  Gamer Gamer demonstrates a surprisingly fertile cross over between the worlds of comedy and gaming, attracting guests of the calibre of Daniel Sloss, Ed Byrne and Dara O’Briain; and Imaginary Porno Charades fully deserves its 5-Bomb haul for its raucous, gleeful filth. Perhaps sneaking under the radar a little is Comedians Against Humanity which, as the title suggests, sees a revolving roster of comedians riffing on scenarios based on the now infamous Cards Against Humanity game.

The dank confines of the Movement club on Cowgate feel like an apt setting for an evening of twisted humour, with moral turpitude seemingly seeping from the very walls. Unlike the similarly lung-punishing Caves along the road, it’s open all year-round. Worrying. The intrepid Yianni Agisilaou is the man putting his health and soul on the line as the host, and he’s the same genial presence as he is in his solo show.

The guests are Bronston Jones, Tim Renkow, and Eddy Brimson, and they get stuck into the challenge with relish. The first scenario is a press conference, the subject of which is provided by suggestions from the cards dealt to the audience on entry. Renkow easily steals the show as an announcer informing the public that the planet’s homosexuals are to be executed by the Jews – a wondrous portrayal of the heights (or depths) this game can reach. It’s absolutely hilarious, and compounded by Renkow, a cerebral palsy sufferer, knocking the cards off the table when attempting to pick another card; after a moment of unbearable inevitability. It feels like a distillation of everything the show is about.

If there is a criticism, it is that the games are a little similar, and some suggestions from the audience are weaker than others, despite Yianni being a deft conductor of proceedings. Brimson especially seems to get the rawest deal from the cards and doesn’t really get a chance to shine.  That said, as a concept it’s a marriage made in heaven for anyone who likes their comedy to be near-the-knuckle.