She arrived on stage laden with bags. You could feel the anticipation in the room willing her to reveal the contents.

Ventriloquist Nina Conti brought to life new characters based on her daughter, her handyman, gran, granpa and a stray rescue-dog, plus her constant companion, Monkey.

With a genius of mind, she was witty, constantly engaging, made risqué comments through her puppets which were hilariously funny.

She showed incredible skill when she orchestrated a romance between two members of the audience, their mouths hidden by a brilliant device defusing their embarrassment, whilst she operated the mouth pieces with speed and quick-wittedness that left the audience in hysterics.

It was impossible to take your eyes off the stage, the performance was enthralling, quite exceptional. What a talent.

Review by Beth Rowan-Pugh.