As all hardcore Tauntonians know, the town was the first in the country to be permanently lit by electric streetlights.

Well now, 135 years later, the town is set to shine a light on the up and coming comedian Ed Gamble, who embarks on his first nationwide tour in the town.

Called Stampede, the show was a smash-hit at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Ed is set to delight audiences with tales of cauliflowers, self-depreciation and weight loss.

Although this is his debut tour as a solo stand up comedian, Ed is not exactly new to the UK comedy scene.

He said: “The show is my first proper national tour as a solo act.

“The first part of the show is a sort of greatest-hits compilation of my jokes from the past two years, and then the second half of the show is my Edinburgh Fringe show, which is called Stampede.

“There’s a long-running silly joke about a cauliflower, and I talk about mental health and how men are progressing.

“It’s a lot funnier than it sounds.”

At just 30, Ed, originally from South West London, is becoming somewhat of a veteran on the UK Comedy scene.

He first started performing aged 19 while studying at university, and took a number of sketch shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The award-winning comedian has been the host of the popular Peacock and Gamble podcast since 2007, and has continued to perform sketches at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where Stampede was a soaring success, selling out most days.

He has also been on some of the country’s most popular panel shows, including Mock The Week and Russell Howard’s Good News, and has also written for Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Ask Rhod Gilbert.

He has starred on the small-screen in BBC America’s Almost Royal, which is set to be screened on E4 in the near future, and has also toured the country as tour support for Greg Davies, Russell Kane and Chris Addison.

But now, Ed says he is more than ready for his own stand up tour, and is looking forward to coming to Taunton.

“The show has had some nice reviews, it sold out every day and I had a lovely time doing it.

“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous ahead of the tour, I’m more excited than anything. It’s the right time, and I can’t wait to get started.

“I did a lot for Greg Davies which was great, I did about 80 or 90 shows which was good for me because it was quite low pressure. As support, nobody expects you to be funny, they are sat there waiting for the main act, so it was nice to do that.

“In Almost Royal, and the podcast, you are very much working as a team, which is great because you can help each other out of situations, or throw each other curveballs to keep it fresh.

“Doing stand-up, you are on your own but I do try to throw myself the occasional curve-ball to keep the show fresh and current.

“I like to speak to the audience, and they can be really good. Hecklers are never helpful, but audiences can be really fun and when you ask them questions, you often get great responses.

“With the joke about cauliflower, I have had some belting responses from audiences.

“In the preview shows, I did a new joke and there was a little silence from the audience before the laugh. I promise there was a laugh, but in the pause, I heard someone taking their inhaler, which is a sound you never want to hear as a comedian!”

But now, Ed’s focus is solely on his Taunton show, and getting his debut tour off to a good start.

He added: “It’s all about Taunton at the moment, and getting ready for it. I’ve been to Somerset before, around the county and really liked it, and I can’t wait to get started with the show.”

Ed will be performing at the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre on Saturday night, tickets cost £12 and for more information visit tacchi-morris.com If you miss that, he will also be performing at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare on September 30.