COUNT Arthur Strong reflects on a life spent on stage and screen, replete with misinformation, malapropisms and expletive outbursts.

First created by Leeds comedian and character actor Steve Delaney in the 1980s, Count Arthur Strong is an ageing, self-important and frequently out-of-work actor who, despite all evidence to the contrary, is firmly convinced that he is showbusiness royalty.

The character has appeared on stage, radio and television, and has remained exceedingly popular throughout Delany’s career. His latest live show is split between in-character stand-up, prop-based comedy and footage recovered from a "lost" film broken up in three parts and shown over the course of the night.

The variety of comedic styles could easily prove overwhelming, but the genius of the Strong character is that he approaches everything – be it performing the Last Supper by himself or attempting to read an extract from his new book – in exactly the same way. That is to say, he forgets what he’s doing, shouts, confuses his lines and generally makes a mockery of whatever is occurring, marrying together the different elements.

However, some elements are definitely stronger than others. The Dragon’s Den introduction is very repetitive, and the film segments, while certainly a well-observed parody of classic 1950s' sci-fi, are stilted and feel designed to offer Delany some breathing room between skits. That being said, there’s no denying the energy Delany displays while he is on stage, and laughter follows him consistently throughout the show.

Count Arthur Strong: Alive And Unplugged is classic comedy, using farce and bewildered fury to deliver highly entertaining character comedy.