Alun Cochrane did an excellent job of hosting Best of the Fest last year, dealing very well with the aftermath of some loud objections from a couple of audience members to Richard Herring's unfunny obscenities and attempts to shock.
His own show this year is based on the premise that he believes himself to have no imagination and is trying to develop it. In order to do this, he has created The Unicorn Sketch, which is so imaginative it will blow our minds.
Cochrane creates a very amiable character on stage, like a friendly northern bloke who might start chatting to you in a pub. He appears to be perfectly genuine about everything he says, as though he is telling you the absolute truth as he sees it. He doesn't ask for much in life - to him, wearing odd socks is a bit exciting and sexy - but he likes to be straight and truthful about everything. However he does tend to get easily diverted and will sometimes start to tell you about one thing and then go off onto a completely different train of thought. In fact, if you're unlucky, he might get so diverted with his list of dislikes that he might completely forget to do The Unicorn Sketch, with effects that make the helicopter in Miss Saigon look rubbish.
Cochrane's set is slick, polished and very funny, and he has a great relationship with the audience on stage. He is well worth a look.