Tony Martin is one of the most talented comedians in this country (though like many great Australian talents, he’s actually from New Zealand). Now he delivers once again with A Nest of Occasionals.

From his official sex education to bizarre encounters with family members, Martin covers a lot of territory in Nest, all in his uniquely appealing way. Who else in the world would conceive of a plan to steal a book by stealing the actual words, ‘one sentence at a time’? It’s both hilarious and strangely impressive to read about how, as a kid, Martin would visit a bookshop every day to memorise a sentence (from Alistair MacLean’s Force 10 From Navarone, of all things), which he would later transcribe into an exercise book. (In many ways ‘the perfect crime’, even in this, he’s unexpectedly thwarted.) It’s only a throw-away moment in the Nest, but it’s representative of Tony Martin’s appeal. Reading him is like hanging out with a great friend … that is, if your great friend happens to be a highly entertaining yet self-effacing wordsmith with an acute sense of the absurdity of being human. It’s huge fun.