The Tapeface Tapes

Another very promising pilot, although whether something so quirky could stretch to a series is debatable. The meat of it is a live show by The Boy with Tape on His Face: an anonymous performer, his mouth gaffer-taped, who puts costumes on audience members and makes them play stupid games with a sweet visual gag at the end. They're very silly jokes that are somehow made funnier by spending ages building up to them.

In between are sketches that continue the flippant tone, and miniature scenes playing on the creepiness of the Boy's staring eyes. It's wilfully a curio.

One man who had a very successful Edinburgh Festival this year was physical comedian Sam Wills, who, with his mouth gaffer-taped shut, won this year's Panel Prize as his wordless alter ego The Boy With Tape On His Face. The bulk of this little curio is him performing live and cajoling audience members into enjoyably absurd little games; interspersing the on-stage action are filmed sketches, presumably testing the water for a possible sitcom.

Following a highlights reel at 9pm from the Edinburgh Fringe's Comedy Marathon comes a one-off from a Kiwi who has steadily built a following at the same festival. Initially made for the BBC's online comedy wing, The Tapeface Tapes blends semi-silent stand-up and occasional sketches to position Sam Willis's character, The Boy with Tape on his Face, as an endearing throwback. His show embraces mime, audience participation (he has people both DJ-ing and stripping) and sight gags, all bathed in a gentle, old-school comic charm. TV may not be quite the vehicle for these talents: much of the material prompts a wry smile rather than the howls of laughter from the audience that often suggest you had to be there. But he's certainly a refreshing change from the default TV comedian.