Who needs awards? if.comedy winner Brendon Burns might have just played a prestigious gig at the Garrick, but surprise omission from the shortlist Russell Howard is packing them in everywhere. Apart from Hayes. Judging by last night's storming show in front of a small, appreciative audience, it is hard to see what else Howard can do to please the panel.

The youthful linchpin of BBC2's Mock The Week hit the ground running, thawing a reserved crowd with some sparky repartee. This slight-framed storyteller might still be only 27, but he is a stand-up natural, shooting the breeze, pulling faces, doing daft accents, digressing wildly à la Ross Noble, but always remembering the importance of punchlines.

Adventures is essentially a catch-all title for a monologue that allows Howard to celebrate magical moments in his life, which fortunately for us tend to be funny incidents such as visiting the Neighbours set or being woken by Morris dancers in Bath - the latter a sure sign of being middle class.

It is hard to see what Edinburgh's judges objected to. There might not be much depth but he is so effervescently witty it scarcely matters. There is a tendency-towards juvenile bottom-based banter, but Howard redeems these puerile passages with some neat asides. On having a rectal examination he recalls thinking: "I feel like a novelty glove."

Above all there is a gleeful innocence here that puts him ahead of the pack. While others try to be fashionably edgy, his childish charm dovetails perfectly with his references to playful kids, chocolate bars and zoos. So will he be an if. comedy contender next year? Definitely not. Because he will be too famous to be eligible.

• Bloomsbury Theatre 22, 23 October and 12 December. Information: 020 7388 8822, www.russell-howard.co.uk