WITH two well-known names testing out their new shows for this year's Edinburgh Festival, comedy fans were treated to a night of never-seen-before material.

Rob Rouse, from Channel 4's Friday Night Project, and Lucy Porter are big names on the comedy club circuit.

But it was clear both shows were still works-in-progress, with some fluffed jokes and awkward silences in among the killer punch lines.

Porter opened the evening and was an effervescent, lively presence throughout the show. She came across as a friend an impression enhanced by the intimate venue with down-to-earth banter and funny stories instead of out-and-out gags.

She was warming up her new Edinburgh turn, The Good Life, which sees her pondering how she can be a better person.

Porter really got into her stride in the second half. Her act was more polished, more fluid and her non-stop machine-gun patter reached almost manic levels.

This was Porter as Bridget Jones, a lonesome thirty-something singleton "surrounded by gay men and cats", confessing to the audience her embarrassing encounters and bizarre dates.

Rouse opened with a take-off of MC Hammer. Entertaining enough for an audience in their mid-20s, but how much mileage is there left in a song released 16 years ago?

He bounced around, his eccentric persona brimming with nervous energy. His quick-fire act got plenty of laughs, but sometimes his raucous stage presence seemed to mask a lack of gags.

Both sets were entertaining, but there is clearly some work to be done before they get to Edinburgh.