Simon Amstell, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Sunday June 1 King of TV sarcasm Simon Amstell is best known as the acerbic host of BBC's Never Mind the Buzzcocks and, to the younger generation, as the former presenter of Channel 4's ground-breaking youth music show Popworld.

But to suggest Amstell is riding on the back of his small screen success with this venture into live comedy would be unfair.

The 28-year-old is a seasoned performer, having sharpened his satirical wit on the stand-up circuit and enjoyed sell-out shows at the Pleasance during 2005 and 2006's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

He is the youngest ever finalist of the BBC New Comedy Awards and he recently won an Royal Television Society award for his work on Buzzcocks - so he knows a thing or two about making people laugh.

Opening his show at the Grand Theatre with the tongue-in-cheek line "hello Birmingham" could have backfired but, like so much of Amstell's risqué humour, it paid off.

With no Z-list celebrities to roast, the self proclaimed "skinny Jewish boy built for comedy" sunk his teeth into a host of topics from his middle class eco angst to racism, failed relationships and being single.

Amstell likes to shock but what seems radical on TV does lose some of its impact on the stand-up stage where every comic tries to draw a gasp from the crowd.

Indeed some of his gags in the show's first half did fall flat and he, wrongly, assumed the Wolverhampton crowd didn't understand his sense of humour.

However, after the interval he got into his stride and, by his own admission, upped his game.

He talked about ethical shopping and criticised big firms for exploitative child production methods although he confessed he had recently bought some basic Converse trainers because they would be easy to make! And he said he adopts an African boy for a fiver a month - "someone should tell Madonna".

He delved into the world of celebrity by suggesting we are all to blame if a big star like Princess Diana dies because of media attention. He pointed out Victoria Beckham is always being photographed but "she just won't die"!

And he shared his fears he had caused the tsunami as ten minutes before the giant wave struck his Thai holiday resort he said "this is paradise but it's soooo boring - I wish something would happen..."!

Amstell is a talented guy and a natural comic who is well worth catching in the flesh.

Visit www.simonamstell.co.uk for tour dates.