Bernadette Russell is a good egg. She performed a random act of kindness every day for an entire year (and a leap year at that) in response to the London riots of 2011. It was her way of making a difference in a world where it seemed everything was out of her hands.

She’s not always been kind, though. She started this part spoken word, part comedy show by listing all the times she’d been particularly unkind, such as when she tied her little sister to a swing and left her there for four hours.

Ably aided by her deadpan partner Gareth – with his PowerPoint presentation and box of shoes to represent different beneficiaries – Bernadette talked us through her various good deeds, such as leaving a fiver on the bus and buying flowers for strangers.

Between anecdotes were video interviews with Sheila from the charity shop in Deptford, riot clean-up organiser Dan Thompson and vicar Pete musing on kindness and how even small actions can make a big difference.

Bernadette is, in her own words, “more Amélie than Ghandi” and this was what made the show so charming. It never veered into preachy do-gooder territory and the humour throughout kept things light.

Can kindness change the world? Who knows, but it’s a good place to start.