How on earth has comedian Alexis Dubus managed to come up with a seamless monologue about swearing without mentioning Gordon Ramsay?

Easy really. He has done his research and unearthed so many interesting facts about cussing in A R*ddy Brief History Of Swearing that he barely gets to the era where TV chefs come with a garnish of f-words.

If things occasionally get list-y, that is because Dubus has much to say. After an opening “swearobics” session in which he warms up by cataloguing other comedians’ favourite obscenities, he gets stuck into the development of vulgarity. Strange and funny, the human brain is hard-wired to master cursing quicker than politeness.

Shakespeare, who frontloaded his plays with euphemisms, inevitably gets a lengthy look-in but Dubus really hits his stride when he homes in on global profanities. Like a Stephen Fry of filth he takes particular glee in revealing foreign terms of abuse.

“May your mother fart at school meetings” is apparently a classic Bosnian insult, while the Japanese are so verbally polite their most offensive epithet is “idiot”.

It is a pity he has not updated this enjoyable 2008 show to include Sachsgate, and there are some glaring errors. George V, not Henry V, reputedly said “Bugger Bognor” and the section on the Sex Pistols was so inaccurate I nearly blurted out an expletive myself. Hopefully those are the only gaffes.

Now excuse me while I go and annoy a Bosnian to double-check.
Until 10 January (020 7482 4857, www.etceteratheatre.com).