Fitzrovia Radio Hour review

If you fancy a break from the rush rush rush of the Fringe, then you'd do worse than pop along to the Gilded Balloon for some teatime entertainment of the old-fashioned kind. I'm a big fan of Round The Horne, so they already had me on side when I walked in to see the set - a fully-equipped vintage radio station, with rulers, a cabbage and more on standby for authentic sound effects.

We were treated to four thrilling tales as if we were watching a live radio recording, most notably Nazi Firemen in Westminster, featuring lovely performances from the two female members of the cast - Dorothea Myer-Bennett and Fiona Sheehan - as adventurous little boys.

The comedy was polite and gentle, with a good dose of non-offensive innuendo; precisely what you'd expect from a show promising the sort of fun your grandparents were brought up on. The cast of five are skilled in keeping it together for an hour, an unenviable task in front of a packed live audience.

As well as focusing on keeping the stories and sound effects going, there were nice subtleties as the actors interacted with each other. It certainly isn't my favourite show I've seen, but it was an enjoyable, gentle hour and a welcome break from the other types of entertainment here. And I walked away wanting desperately to put my hair up in pins, speak the Queen's English and sip on a dry sherry. It gets a thumbs-up from me.

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The Fitzrovia Radio Hour listing