2013 Edinburgh Fringe

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It's all gone a bit wrong for neo-vaudeville double act Bob and Jim. Stood up by the dancing girls, deprived of the costumes, and having to do without the mechanical penguins, smoke machine and special effects team, they're forced to improvise.

It's the sort of post-modernist twist that's very in vogue these days. If only our chaps were post-modern. Or even modern.

Touching, hilarious and determinedly optimistic, Bob and Jim sweep up the audience in the tale of their past glories and humiliations - from their childhood meeting as wayward youths in rival street gangs ("we spent most of our time trying to shank each other and stealing pick 'n' mix from Woolworths"), to the joys of working with Sir Kenneth Branagh off the Shakespeare and being snapped up by Hollywood (in talks).

Using nothing but a ukulele and their shared history as seasoned entertainers, the pair cover subjects from Brokeback Mountain to anarchy, heavy metal to medieval folk song.

A unique and contemporary spin on British music hall, Bob and Jim harken back to the pre-digital age of great comedy double acts, delighting audiences of every age.

Bob and Jim made their Fringe debut in 1994 in an abstract movement piece about violence against women that made lots of people cry. They were shamefully unmoved by the powerful feminist sentiment at the time because they were young, and on drugs.

They're still going nearly 20 years later, but now they've got PR. And a logo.