Comedy: Milton Jones, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow

As safe a bet as any in UK comedy, Milton Jones nevertheless resists the formulaic straitjacket imposed by his one-liner comedic style, varying his show's flow with wit and invention. Like all stand-ups, he's obviously wrestled with the conundrum of how much attention to give Covid-19. Neatly, he addresses it and dispatches it in a brief section playing his chuckling old grandfather, sharing pandemic puns via Zoom call.

Thereafter, a genuine support slot from Tom Houghton, and Jones returns in an eye-catching ensemble of pink frilly shirt and combat trousers, a nonsensical arrangement presaging the silliness to follow. As ever, the gag hit rate is high, with even the groaners applaudable in their contrivance. In a departure though, Jones has bolted his jokes to a spy narrative, which he routinely dips out of, but which forces him to raise his game.

The only other gag merchant I've seen pull off this trick for a sustained period is Glenn Moore. And it's an interesting study in self-restriction inspiring creativity, the daring befitting the theme. Granted, the world of espionage is stuffed with clichés ripe for sending up, and Jones' plot isn't worthy of the name. But it inspires some lovely bits of business: a prop-heavy scene in which he plays himself and his interrogator thanks to a spinning chair. And some droll, geopolitical dialogues conducted between nations via their flags, which even touch topically on the tension between Ukraine and Russia. More than a quarter of a century into his career, Jones can still surprise.

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