IN preparation for the Edinburgh Fringe, Ed Patrick previewed his show about leading a double life and the stresses it brings.

Last Saturday's sold-out gig centred on how Patrick's job as a junior doctor affects his family, relationships and attitude to life. Patrick's easy-going attitude made for an hour of gentle laughs, a relaxing antidote to the hectic mayhem of festival season.

With plenty of material on the NHS, the several jabs at Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt were to be expected- and actively encouraged from a crowd that warmed to Patrick as soon as he was on the stage.

His bedside manner translated to a stage perfectly: at once endearing, his throwaway attitude to punch lines helped to back up how naturally Patrick approached his material.

A few jokes and segments seemed out of place with the overall structure to the show. Patrick had built himself a broad umbrella of an overarching theme, and his phobias and worries helped to tie in nicely with anecdotes about his brother's habits and ex-girlfriend's attitude to sudden death.

However, some segues did feel disjointed: the nature of a preview show, of course, and it didn't undermine the jokes within these sections.

Patrick's ending also felt unfinished, but he riffed well around some morbid themes with verbatim pieces of NHS guidebooks. While the material could have been mined for a few more jabs and punchlines, Patrick's set-up and baffled delivery made this section a highlight of the show.

The fact that Patrick could talk about disease and death so freely while keeping the mood light and cheery was a testament to his stand-up skills, and an attitude that ensured the audience would enjoy his company at the Edinburgh Fringe as much as in York.