The first forty-five minutes of the show was Fraser’s popular Funny Business clown act. Man-handling children with his customary finesse, his balloon, juggling, and human puppetry routines are always delightful. He did right to limit the new boxing element to a short bout at the end. It is more suited to the outdoor arena. Pitching two adults as corner seconds, another as sound effects controller and a fourth as his opponent, Fraser boxed in really enormous gloves and was pretty well punched in return. There is something inherently funny in watching the ill-matched pair box in slow motion to Chariots of Fire music with clashing sound effects often out of time. Interesting too to see just how perplexed the adults are on stage, perhaps more than the children.

Mid-afternoon in the chilly Spiegeltent is not an easy gig, but Fraser’s perfect comic timing, his mix of charm and cheek, warmed us all up.