There's been a bit of a kerfuffle over the ticket prices for Ricky Gervais' show at the Edinburgh Festival on August 26. At £37.50 they work out at about two minutes of Ricky per pound. Other shows are usually around £10 for about an hour in the main venues or much less in the converted churches, school halls and disused shops. The argument is not just that the Extras star is taking away fans' money in a giant wheelbarrow, he is also taking away fans from the "real" Fringe shows.

The whole value for money issue is complicated. We are happy to complain to shops when products do not live up to expectations, but I've only once seen people complaining about the value of a show (Ronnie Corbett at the 2006 Glasgow Comedy Festival, when locals objected to the musical support act). When we go to gigs we seem to accept that they may not be up to scratch as part of the deal.

Critics rate shows in terms of stars based on the quality of the performance, we only really rate a show in terms of cost if charges are really wallet-breaking, as in the case of Barbra Streisand's £600 seats. I've often thought, however, that maybe instead of awarding stars we should give a guide to the show's value based on how much one thinks it is worth paying for tickets. Thus a mediocre show might be worth attending if tickets were 50p, a brilliant show might be rated as a £99 must-see.

Comedy prices haven't reached Streisand proportions yet, but they have gradually been creeping up. If in doubt blame the Americans. A few years ago Jerry Seinfeld tickets at the Palladium were around a then-shocking £50, but the visit was special enough to justify the mark-up. Jackie Mason at the Royal Opera House a couple of years back hardly justified the £100 tariff - new material was advertised, old material was delivered.

In the end the punter literally pays their money and makes their choice. Maybe if they went on strike and stayed away when big shows bumped up their prices (and don't even get me started on spurious booking fees) promoters would charge more realistic amounts. But all 8000 tickets for Gervais were snapped up ages ago. If people are mad enough to pay exorbitant rates to see a speck in the distance telling ironically tasteless jokes we can't blame the performer in question for charging them.