Be prepared for an hour (or 56 minutes!) of pure comedic mayhem! It’s like the best lecture you’ve ever had with a teacher who’s madly obsessed with his subject in the best possible way. Think Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society meets Hans Rosling in his TED Talks, and that’ll get you Gordon Southern as he takes you on this eccentric journey through history.

Gordon is a well-versed comedian with many years of experience in the scene. He’s made a name for himself at Fringe, both in Australia and the UK, and it’s obvious to any observer why he’s been nominated for so many awards – he is a very funny man.

Unfortunately for Gordon though, he appears not to have as many years’ experience with PowerPoint! His running commentary with the technical malfunctions throughout the show add to his eccentricity as he battles with the computer to display the humorous images he prepared earlier and utilises the sound effects we can only assume he pinched from Ross from Friends’ Yahama keyboard. Whether intentional or not, Gordon’s ability to laugh at himself put us all at ease and his unashamed geekiness of the whole ordeal had us all cackling.

As well as his questionable mathematics and unconvincing accents from around the globe, Gordon masters the delicate matter of colonisation. As everyone’s shoulders tensed at the mention of the British Empire given the recent politics in January, there was a welcome relief as he acknowledged yet didn’t lecture or degrade the audience. Bravo to Gordon.

Gordon’s wordplay and puns showcase his British humour throughout the show and his slight obsession with luggage makes him pretty darn loveable. He’s your dream teacher, best drinking pal and mad uncle all rolled into one. A delight to watch time and time again and one definitely not to miss this FRINGE season.