Eric – first name only – has spent his life onboard Royal Navy nuclear submarines and although he says he hates the way Hollywood portrays submarines, the stories he tells in Eric’s Tales of Sea seem like they have made their way off the page of movie script.

The show sits somewhere between a lecture and a comedy show, something Eric freely admits himself as some of the jokes first need an explanation to the audience who won’t necessary understand the inner workings of the Navy. The set ups end up paying off, as Eric talks you through a number of dramatic near-death experiences and cringe-worthy initiation pranks. A slideshow of pictures accompanies the stories and helps to tell Eric’s story. The photo of Eric when he joined the Navy as a baby-faced 16 year old is quite powerful when watching what experiences and troubles turned that young boy into the man he is today. The stories, which all seem to end in everyone punching everyone, are not side-splitting hilarious, but they are told in a riveting manner that will ensure you are drawn into Eric’s storytelling.

It is his friendship with fellow submariner Dick that steals the show. The admiration that Eric holds for Dick is incredibly apparent and he speaks from the heart about their time together. The closing story is the highlight of the night and even if Eric does try and force emotion on the audience at times, what happens to Dick during a routine training exercise will leave you absolutely stunned.

Despite a riveting final story, it felt like the show ended abruptly. Given that there was particular emphasis on Eric’s beginning in the navy it would have been nice to come full circle and find out how the rest of his career panned out. What does come full circle is his friendship with Dick, which again reinforces that this show, although disguised as being about submarines, is really about the incredible bond of friendship.