“Stokes and Summers”, first names Kate and Claudia, are currently taking their Edinburgh Fringe show “Careering” on tour. The pair, who started on TikTok, performed their hour-long sketch show about temping as receptionists: in their words “Once upon a time I was on the small screen. Now I’m only screening the calls”.

The hour-long sketch show is charming, and both performers had great stage presence and were eminently watchable. The show was fun and silly but laced through with satire on the drudgery of corporate jargon, co-workers, and office politics. Even so, the tone remained very sweet and upbeat: “temping; it’s only temporary”.

“Both performers had great stage presence and were eminently watchable”

Despite this, the format and premise of the show — based in an office, full of zany characters and an odd, over-zealous boss, even including a sketch in the mockumentary format — didn’t exactly feel original. However, even in the sketch built on the most worn-out premise of a new employee stealing her co-worker’s lunch, there were redeeming turns of phrase like “land of landlords” and “sardini panini”.

Highlights of the show included a sketch involving a female CEO, a kind of corporate Miss Trunchbull fuelled by acronyms and withering commentary of her employees “crying in the toilets because [their] inbox[es] [are] too full”. In interviewing a new “wellbeing consultant” for the office, she wryly dismisses company perks: “if it were up to me you wouldn’t even get a branded cagoule”.

The performers were both versatile and compelling, blessed with natural funny bones — though sometimes I felt they leaned on these qualities because the writing wasn’t quite sharp or original enough. They successfully brought to life the particulars of their characters (particularly good was the permanently agonised wince of the “wellbeing consultant”), a key element of successful sketch comedy.

Overall, the show is a fun romp through the abounding joys of careering. Even if the “follow your dreams” message was a little on the nose, it was a charming and feel-good hour well spent.

Careering is on tour across the UK till July 8th. For more information click here.