Edinburgh Fringe Review: Stephen Buchanan's Baby Dove is a warm and hilarious tale of life at home with his mum and a refugee

Having brought his audience to an area labelled “The Cellar” where they were met with backless benches as seating, it could have been an uncomfortable hour for Stephen Buchanan’s full Fringe debut.

But Baby Dove turned out to be an absolute joy from start to finish, packed with laughs and warm-hearted storytelling.

The show is centred around the fact that 27-year-old Stephen, a self-confessed “man-child”, still lives at home with his mum.

And that’s not all, as living under the same roof is Vietnamese refugee known as Dove, who Stephen’s mum has taken in as part of a settlement programme.

Connecting well with the crowd, Stephen is completely at ease as he recounts hilarious tales of Dove’s assimilation with Scottish culture.

Highlights of the show also include his Goosebumps-themed quiz, stories from his trip to Dove’s homeland, and digs at racist neighbour Brenda.

This may be his debut hour in Edinburgh, but Stephen had the confidence and assuredness of a man who had many more solo shows at the festival under his belt.

When he deviates from the prepared routine he interacts with the audience well, even when they are of no help in getting him to the punchline he has ready.

Shining throughout the show was the genuine affection he has for the two main protagonists in the show other than himself, his mum and Dove.

And while he may still live with his mum, this show proved that he is definitely going places soon.