Psychological entertainer Doug doesn’t need to employ any of his mind control tricks to get a great review out of me.

A little slow to respond, it wasn’t too long before he had the audience eating out of his hand as he astonished us with seeming feats of mind-reading and control.

Obvious comparisons with Derren Brown are unavoidable given his use of science, psychology and - in Doug’s case - his background in advertising.

Not only is Doug funnier, his rock ‘n’ roll swagger setting audiences at ease, he teaches you how to detect lies, read minds and implant subliminal suggestions along the way.

The way in which he demonstrated how he persuaded one member of the audience to name a particular playing card was eye-opening. How he got another at the end of the night to correctly pick three different words chosen by three different people from a stack of cards was amazing.

He’s sold out in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, London and the Brighton Fringe Festival and been shortlisted for Pick Of The Fringe.

Doug has to be seen to be believed. Luckily tickets are still available for his appearance at The Forum, Norwich, this Saturday where he’ll use the Fusion screen technology there to do a special one-off interactive piece before the show.

The setting for the Ipswich gig - Jimmy’s 200-year-old-barn which has been transformed into a timber-framed restaurant - and three-course pre-show meal were absolutely faultless. Well worth visiting whether there’s a show on or not; I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The farm’s next comedy night, on June 9, sees Lou Sanders and Sarah Pascoe, from Channel 4’s show Campus, perform. It’s worth it for the three-course meal, brilliant value for money, alone.

WAYNE SAVAGE