Edinburgh Fringe review: Dr Matt Winning's climate change show is perhaps his most important yet

The world is finally waking up to the harsh realities of climate change and realising that something should probably be done about it.

In the past year or so, it’s taken action from the likes of Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion for us to really to sit up and take notice that temperatures are rising and, well, that’s not good.

One man who’s been delivering this message for the past few years at the Fringe is Paisley’s Dr Matt Winning, by day an environmental economist at UCL, by night a stand-up comedian.

His latest show is perhaps his most important yet, as at this juncture more and more people who go to see it are likely to actually do something in response.

Sharing the title with the R.E.M song It’s The End of the World As We Know It, Winning comes on stage to the strains of Michael Stipe and co. with his headset mic on, ready to impart some knowledge.

This year’s room is his own little lecture theatre at the Pleasance Courtyard, an ideal space for the most fun briefing on the world’s impending doom you’ll receive.

It’s a stand-up show packed with plenty of clever lines and laughs, mixed with an Al Gore TED Talk.

Incredibly upbeat in the face of the subject matter, Winning pivots from the silly to the serious, for example examining the climate change theories of noughties boyband Busted’s hit Year 3000 while also revealing the little changes we can make to reduce our carbon output.

With inventive use of multimedia throughout, this is a fun hour despite the subject matter.

It’s also not preachy, with Winning walking the talk, successfully cutting down his own carbon footprint through the likes of the planetary diet and cutting his use of air travel.