Aidan Goatley is the Vicar's Husband

When his wife announced her intention to become a CoE vicar it left Goatley, a confirmed atheist, in a bit of a quandary.  But not for long.  Since she's long supported his efforts to build his comedy career it's only fair he does the same for her new path in life.

In the show he tells us how that's all working out and the affect it's had on his own lifeview.  More importantly, about the material it provides for a comedian who majors in real life storytelling.  What could possibly go wrong if an unbelieving comedian has a go at creating an audiobook of the bible?

All of which flows naturally into tales from other aspects of his comedy career, including the big break that wasn't quite what he expected, and his comedic nemesis who seems to be everywhere at once.

It's a well structured set, with a strong narrative flow and, more importantly, a lot of great jokes.  Goatley has a gentle style, enthusiastic and friendly and with no wish to offend, but still able to effectively shut down interruptions (on this occasion a loud Australian woman who seemed convinced what the show really needed was a lot more interjections from a loud Australian woman).  He's a natural raconteur whose embellishments bring stories to life and bring the audience into the situations he's describing, and shows the importance of stories in our lives.

One of the best comedians around, Goatley is always worth seeing and the Vicar's Husband is one of his best.  Highly recommended.

Aidan Goatley is the Vicar's Husband is on in Sweet Grassmarket at 14.40 until 25 August.