SACHSGATE may have induced the greatest media hysteria of 2008 but with a flick of his elfin boot, Russell Brand was able to turn the whole affair to his comic advantage.

Review: Russell Brand at The Regent, Ipswich, Monday January 19.

SACHSGATE may have induced the greatest media hysteria of 2008 but with a flick of his elfin boot, Russell Brand was able to turn the whole affair to his comic advantage.

The 33-year old cut a bizarre figure as he nonchalantly sauntered across the stage at the Ipswich Regent last night, clad in woollen mini-dress and leggings.

The controversy appeared to have flattened his traditionally bouffant coiffure yet his ego remained as inflated as ever.

He could have casually glossed over the furore caused by the explicit phone calls - in the company of Jonathan Ross - to veteran actor Andrew Sachs.

Yet instead we were given a minute-long montage of news coverage set to dramatic music, flaunting his notorious reputation. Brand then proceeded to deconstruct the whole incident; not by condemning publicly the tabloid frenzy but by doing what the comedian does best: revelling in it.

The recent events were enough to give the comic more than enough material to last the 80 minutes of the appropriately titled 'Scandalous' tour, yet we were also treated to a variety of anecdotes featuring an all-star cast, that included Helen Mirren, Britney Spears and Tim Westwood.

The underlying theme of the evening was the struggle between Brand himself and his mischievous mind which compels him to act upon those thoughts that we normally suppress.

Subjecting the Queen to an imaginary groping at the Royal Variety Performance, for example.

The unexpected charm from Brand's stand-up shows lies in his shameless, yet always entertaining, honesty. Lulled into a false sense of security, one may be fooled by his cheeky chappie demeanour.

So you may be startled to find the word “tautology” and a subtle reference to Agincourt embedded into his speech.

Behind the self-indulgent grin, lies a man who knows the comedic value of elevated language as well as his trademark filth.

He may be egotistical, sex crazed, and have a chequered past but his frank self-deprecation makes it very difficult to see his show and not be converted by his own Brand of humour.

Imogen Blake