There is a lot of love for Bristolian Bill, and Wulfrunian rock fans reveled in his heavy metal parody routines, as well as a Kraftwerk parody of German techno pioneers performing nursery rhymes.

While never less than lovable, the veteran comedian has proven capable of a few sharp spikes. Most of them were reserved for senior Tories, including Dominic Raab, Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson, the latter memorably described as “a hesitant haystack”.

There was a touch of poignantness in the last element of his 40-minute title with a tribute to his best friend comedian Sean Lock, whose death from cancer was announced earlier in the week. It was the song Leg of Time, a superbly ridiculous progressive rock epic that the two had worked on together when forming the fake rock band Taunton.

The two-hour show, featuring four comics in total, got off to a surreal start when Wolverhampton Mayor Councilor Greg Brackenridge gave MC Lou Conran a firefighter lift on the stage, but let’s hope he was out of earshot to some of his rude ones. Equipment.

UK-based American Reginald D Hunter impressed with his hard-hitting yet contemplative humor, though he also contributed to the grossest gag of the night at the expense of Phillip Schofield.

The 20-minute second set came from Scott Bennett, whose exasperation at being a parent during the lockdown certainly struck a chord with many Grand Chapiteau spectators.

The venue felt safe from Covid, with its open sides and spaces between seated punters.

The festival features more impressive comedy lineups to come, including Shappi Khorsandi, Gary Delaney, Tom Stade and Lloyd Griffith on August 28 and Paul Sinha, Hal Cruttenden, Jo Caulfield and Jarred Christmas on September 5.