"I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But basically there’s this guy who is always in love. He and a girl meet in a café and they both order the same thing at the same time. There’s a spark. He’s convinced they’re going to end up going out, but she just walks off.”

There’s an awkward pause, because that’s meant to be a joke.

I’m talking with Paul Raymond, who is one half of comedy duo In Cahoots, ahead of his and his partner Luke Manning’s show at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.

“It’s really funny, honestly,“ chuckles Paul, 23. “When you tell someone a comedy idea it doesn’t really work, but when you’re performing it, when you’ve got a crowd, it really is.“

Having worked together for about five years, after meeting at Royal Holloway university, the duo have also performed improvised comedy with acclaimed troupe Shoot From The Hip! and collaborated on two of Paul’s short films. Their comedy is based on real people, but it’s “ramped up“ for performance purposes.

“We try and combine good writing with really funny characters,“ says Paul, from St Albans, “and we hope that’s reflected in our performances. It’s observational to an extent, but very character-based. It’s going down well in the preview shows we’ve been doing.

“I’ve done three shows at the Edinburgh Fringe before, but they were independent and more theatrical, they were more student plays to be fair. Nothing like the comedy Luke and I do now.

“But we’re looking forward to the shows and seeing what doors will open as a result. It’s an exciting time.“

So what’s next for the funny pair?

“We’re aiming big, ideally we’d like a career like Simon Pegg’s, combining comedy with writing and acting. We’re a weird breed, we’re not quite stand-ups, but we’re not actors either. I suppose we consider ourselves comedy actors.“

  • In Cahoots is at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Meadow Bar, Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh, from August 1 until August 25, from midday.