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	Gilded Balloon Teviot (venue website) Comedy 31 Jul, 1-11, 13-18, 20-26 Aug, 5:30pm-6:30pm Reviewed by Mathilda Gregory
Recommended for age 16+ only.

The good Rev Obadiah Steppenwolfe has been around on the comedy circuit, and at the Edinburgh Fringe, for a while. If you’ve seen him before, you will know what to expect; and this is the kind of show it’s probably better to see with at least an inkling of what to expect, because this particular comic is certainly an acquired taste. His brand of super-shocking comedy works well here, as he plays host to that Edinburgh staple, the celebrity chat show.

Steppenwolfe’s stock-in-trade is the sort of humour you laugh at in spite of yourself. It’s the nastiest kind of comedy, but he is incredibly good at it. Expertly delivered, in character, as a Southern Baptist minister, the drug-addled, sex-crazed Steppenwolfe is the religious leader of any church’s PR nightmares – delivering jokes that even Frankie Boyle would probably reject as being a bit too near the knuckle.

The ad-libbing required by the chat show format doesn’t curb the reverend’s foul mouth one bit. His ability to improvise gasp-inducing jokes truly is something to behold. Amazingly, first guest Miles Jupp held his own against the onslaught, giving as good as he got, while still maintaining some dignity.

The second guest, Damiel Sloss, was a different matter. His presence was apparently the reason a lot of the audience attended, but Sloss’s laid-back comic drawl just couldn’t complete with Steppenwolfe’s shock tactics, which left Sloss looking bemused and uncomfortable. It made for an odd interview that seemed to split the crowd.

So this show isn’t for everyone. It you like quick-fire, extremely poor-taste jokes, then don’t miss this; there’s probably no one doing it better. But if you don’t, stay away. Stay away even if one of your favourite comics is on the guest list… they may not get to say much.