Mark Bittlestone has a brilliant visual cue that tells you much about the intent of his debut hour within a few seconds. Resplendent is possibly the only way to describe his vintage England shirt bejewelled with sequins and rhinestones. It’s a neat instant metaphor for a show about a balancing of various identities, of becoming comfortable in your own skin. ‘I Need a Straight Guy*’ is a boisterous and curiously wholesome hour that is a familiar coming out tale, but performed with a similar pizazz to his outfit.

Best known for his online videos on various aspects of gay identity, Bittlestone successfully transfers these to the longer format. He’s a friendly and engaging presence, warming up the audience with some easy, gentle banter before going on to give something of an origin story. He details his years in the closet and his coming out – a moment which leads to his mum blaming his dad. He then takes on such topics as being a gay football fan, and dating via Grindr.

It’s all neatly paced and well-performed, although there is a tendency to plump for a telegraphed punchline here and there. There is also a moment where it feels like Bittlestone is about to take an abrupt turn into some spikier, more difficult material, but then simply allows it to dissipate. He clearly isn’t one for confrontational material, but it does hint at another possible aspect of his persona.

For the most part however, Bittlestone is content to stay in the furrow in which he’s comfortable. What he is extremely good at is cushioning the impact of his more graphic material through a cheeky, inoffensive demeanour. It has the feel of an all-ages show, even as we’re regaled with tales of coitus interruptus in nightclub toilets and industrial quantities of lube. Highlights include routine about a spectacularly embarrassing visit to the doctor where Mark draws a blank on what the foetal position entails, and a rite-of-passage disastrous Grindr date that implodes with the addition of a third. Bittlestone impresses as a vivid and candid storyteller, appalled at himself even as he’s impishly delighted in the telling.

‘I Need a Straight Guy* is definitely a comedian in his comfort zone. Understandably given how recently recently he’s reconciled his own sense of self. It will be interesting to see how he develops as a comic and in which direction he takes his material. For a debut hour though, it’s very solid and rather charming.

‘I Need a Straight Guy*’ is at Pleasance Dome – Jack Dome until Mon 26 Aug 2024 at 21:40