There’s no shortage of comedy improv troupes vying for your trade in Brighton, all ready to pick up a shout from the audience and – with no preparation and no conferring – start running with it there and then.  But we have a soft spot for Off The Cuff, a local group we discovered by chance performing at last year’s Fringe.

Back then, we described Off The Cuff as “entertaining from first to last”; there were no true weak links, we said, in a fast-paced and infectiously energetic show.  Highlights included “half-life”, where a single scene was repeated faster and faster yet somehow embellished each time – and a Room 101 sketch, which “went on and on and got funnier and funnier” until “the applause threatened to bring the roof down”.

It looks like it’s been a good year for Off The Cuff, who are taking a distinct step up the Fringe pecking order with their slot at Upstairs at Three and Ten.  The new show’s a departure, too: described as “Cuff TV”, the programme listing promises us the chance to direct “the funniest shows you’ve always wanted” live on stage.

The switch away from the tried-and-trusted procession of improv “games” could prove a risky one, but we’re optimistic that this talented troupe will deliver the goods once again.  So it’s worth heading out on a Tuesday night for some heartening laugh-a-minute comedy… and, we hope, a new dose of the magic of the Fringe.