Category Archives: Comedy

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Searching for Robert Hennessey, No Hard Felix, Big Stuff, Eva Peroni: Jungled, and Tap Out! (Or I’ll Hit You Again)

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Searching for Robert Hennessey, Greenside @ George Street.

3-starsAs the title suggests, this show is about the lifelong quest of Michael-Sean Hennessey to find the father he never met. He was the product of a one-night stand, his parents never meeting again outside the sheets; at the age of 18 his mother told him his father was a truck driver named Michael Hennessey, and that’s pretty much all he has to go on. It’s an entertaining journey that we all go on together, and would it ruin the surprise to say it has a happy ending? Michael Sean is a charismatic, larger-than-life extrovert on stage, and he tells his story with excitement, enthusiasm, and a whole lotta emotion. To be honest, the Mint Studio is too small a venue to contain his big personality, and at times I felt that it could do with a little tightening up; the use of video and pictures on the screen, for example, sometimes made it look a little amateurish. But you’d have to be very hard-hearted not to be swayed by his journey.

No Hard Felix, Just the Tonic at The Caves.

A tour-de-force performance by Mark Ryder as he portrays the arrogantly alpha Felix, powering his way through the lives of his so-called friends and unfortunate colleagues. If he’s ruthless and cruel with them, spare a thought for how he treats the women in his life! But Felix has a little problem – rather, a big problem with little Felix; the question is, how to deal with it? Cue a hilarious but agonising one-man play where he blames everyone and everything for his erectile dysfunction, when what’s needed is to be a man and do something about it. A brilliant insight into toxic masculinity and the collateral damage it causes – not least to the toxic man himself. A truly inventive and honest piece about something that nearly everyone will come up against at some point (so to speak). Plus it’s outstandingly funny!

Big Stuff, Assembly Roxy.

4-starsNaomi and Matt are driving from Los Angeles to Toronto with a van full of stuff – small stuff individually, but when you put it all together, it becomes big stuff. An engaging light-hearted show about loss and grief, and how we hang onto little things because they remind us of someone special (that is, if you’re like Naomi) or how we chuck stuff away as soon as it doesn’t have an obvious purpose (like Matt). As you would expect from a real-life couple, Naomi Snieckus and Matt Baram have a great onstage relationship, full of jokey digs and knowing asides, and with immaculate comic timing. There’s some gentle but entertaining audience participation and it’s a surprisingly educational show – you’ll certainly realise you’re not the only person who still hoards their great aunt’s collection of castanets. Highly relatable and entertaining throughout.

Eva Peroni: Jungled, Gilded Balloon Teviot.

The main thrust of Eva Peroni’s Edinburgh debut hour is about how she moved to Costa Rica for her education – which is a pretty unique achievement for someone from a council estate in Livingston – how she tried to come out to her best friend whilst there, and the events that meant she ended up back at the University of Edinburgh. She has masses of attack and a strong, powerful delivery; she operates at two volume levels, loud and deafening, and the show would have benefited from a little less amplification. For me, her act lacks some finesse and light and shade – I also thought she occasionally went a little cruel with her material. She’s a big fan of some groanworthy puns, which is something you either like or don’t! It was a full house and there was no lack of laughter from the audience, but, I confess, it was all a little too shouty for me.

Tap Out! (Or I’ll Hit You Again), Gilded Balloon Patter House.

3-starsTheatre at the Edinburgh Fringe is all about being challenged, and Tap Out! (Or I’ll Hit You Again) is a fascinating addition to the plays that you file under “difficult”. It’s about a man who starts random fights in the street just to gain some kind of identity, to find a purpose in his life. When expressed clinically like that, it sounds like some kind of academic exercise to theorise how far you can push violence before it becomes damaging. The answer to that is – not very far! What you can’t overlook is that these are not mere victimless errors of judgment. This is a play about a very bad man who turns violent at a moment’s notice and is a danger to society. End of. Written by Conor Dye, it’s got a strong structure and a fluid and very believable narrative. It describes itself as a comedy – which I think is stretching a point. It will certainly spark a debate between yourselves as to whether our hero (antihero?) has a remote chance of redemption. The writing suggests that he might, but does a leopard change his spots that easily? Furthermore, Matt Ackerman’s performance is so engaging, and his ability to make you feel he’s talking directly to you is so well done, that you find you’re being asked to like this appalling individual – and can you allow that of yourself? You can see why not only is this a difficult play but it’s also difficult to express exactly what you think of it! One thing’s for sure – Mr Ackerman gives a tremendous performance; but the play leaves you totally perplexed.

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – Long Way Home, Buggers, The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, An A to Z Guide to Dating, Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, and 44 Minutes

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Long Way Home, Gilded Balloon Patter House.

From the first sentence you’re completely hooked by Layla Warren’s true, inspiring tale of survival, from an early childhood in war-torn Tehran to fleeing to London, a family upheaval to Virginia, back to London and then to Los Angeles. Long Way Home is a story of resourcefulness against the odds, the need for constant flexibility and always reaching for the stars, whilst never losing sight of the pull of home and family. Layla is a riveting storyteller, with a perfectly paced and constructed narrative that leaves you hanging on her every word. She has an extraordinary ability to draw you into her confidence and her insights, so that within minutes the whole audience is on her side – we are all “Team Layla”. And although it is a story of survival, there’s an overriding acceptance that safety is never guaranteed and that everyone is only one hostile government’s step away from disaster. Governments never learn from their mistakes, but we must all carry on as best we can. A must-see.

Buggers, Pleasance Courtyard.

Alistair Hall’s engrossing and authoritative play, written with the consent of the Estate of painter Francis Bacon and after being given access to the Estate’s archives, concerns the relationship between the educated and wealthy Bacon and the charismatic petty criminal George Dyer, the “bit of rough” who became his artistic muse, through their intense, physical and toxic sexual partnership. Imaginative staging conveys both their alcohol-fuelled existence and their artistic creative process, whilst exposing the sadomasochism of their relationship. Rivetingly directed, the production boasts two heartfelt and honest performances by Alistair Hall as Bacon and Peter Clements as Dyer. If you don’t know the works of Bacon, this will make you want to discover them. A brave, thought-provoking and challenging production.

The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy!, Pleasance Courtyard.

3-starsCabbage Productions present a cunningly woven farce set in a failing rural library where the structure is crumbling and no one knows where the safe is. The previous Head Librarian has shuffled off this mortal coil leaving a power struggle in his wake – who will take over as the next Head Librarian and will they be able to keep this creaking old place going? And is there more behind the series of recent library closures… and who really is the Library Inspector? Well structured and with some extremely funny lines, the cast perform at a cracking pace and make the most of the comic opportunities. Not every joke lands, and occasionally it gets a little exasperating, but overall this is an entertaining show that just about stays on the right side of ludicrousness. Don’t run up any fines and definitely don’t have the Garibaldis!

An A to Z Guide to Dating, Underbelly George Square.

Grace is running late to start her new Fringe show, but fortunately her mother is here to watch it too. When Grace becomes a no-show, her mother decides to take over proceedings and present a potted, musical version of her own book An A – Z Guide to Dating. Sounds like a fun concept for a show, and Grace O’Keefe (it was her all the time, who knew!) is a likeable and confident presence on stage, but, sadly, the material just isn’t there. The songs are rather repetitive and she relies heavily on audience participation (in our show, the excellent Ruby and Tim) who actually provided most of the entertainment. Neither of us could understand what the show was trying to achieve and I’m afraid, despite Ms O’Keefe’s obvious talent and effort, this failed to hit the spot.

Evaldas Karosas: A Very Capable Man, Monkey Barrel at the Cabaret Voltaire.

37,000 people follow Evaldas Karosas on Instagram, so how come I hadn’t heard of him? I’m so glad that’s been rectified with his new show, A Very Capable Man, which is jam-packed full of original and devastatingly funny material, all delivered with a sprinkle of Lithuanian attitude and a brilliant feel for the comic cadences of the English language. Among his comedy nuggets he shared were the reasons men keep their emotions in, why they don’t have Pride marches in Lithuania, and why he fears men who have gone through a relationship break-up. He has a terrific stage presence, great connection with the audience and I didn’t want his hour to stop. A brilliant find – and he really ought to be huge in the comedy world. Can’t recommend him too strongly!

44 Minutes, Assembly Rooms.

4-starsFour men are thrown into a cage. They are all strangers, they don’t know why they are there. One of them can’t remember anything but screams in pain and anguish. Then comes an unseen voice: they have 44 minutes to decide which of the four men will die so that the others will live. But 17-year-old Lev Steinberg’s intriguing psychological thriller is not like the old-fashioned Balloon Parlour Game, where you have to choose which of the players will be thrown from the hot air balloon so that the others will survive. There are far more sinister plans afoot here and, unlike many other psychological thrillers, the explanation for it all is made crystal clear at the end. I’m not entirely sure the Sisyphus-like denouement entirely holds water, but tense, taut writing and four excellent performances from John Billinsgley, Dorian Missick, Christopher Ryan and Matthew Petrick make this a very watchable drama.

Edinburgh Fringe Reviews 2026 – An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, The Problem, Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK?, Two Halves and SpinQueen

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An Audience with Virginia Woolf: Writing One’s Mind, Assembly Rooms.

4-starsYou too can have A Room of One’s Own – one where you decide the rules and what goes on there. That’s at least part of the message of Lucy Stevens’ intricate and engrossing play, an intelligent digest of Virginia Woolf’s work and life. Undoubtedly one of the great voices of 20th-century literature, Woolf has fascinated readers and academics over decades and Lucy Stevens gives a quietly authoritative performance as Virginia herself, constantly popping in and out of books as a kind of comfort blanket, reflecting on what motivated her and taking us through the most significant stages and mind-opening awakenings of her life. We learn about how she was sexually assaulted as a child, the achievement of “killing the Angel”, and how the move to Bloomsbury contributed to Woolf’s constant search for truth and identity. As a student, I desperately wanted to like Virginia Woolf’s works, but I always found them annoyingly difficult to read. However, this play made me not only want to revisit her works but also to find out more about her. Ms Stevens easily makes you believe Virginia Woolf is in the room with us! An elegant and literary start to the day.

The Longer My Mother is Dead the More I Like Her, Greenside @ George Street.
3-starsThere’s an art to mother-management; most of us learn it the hard way. Deborah Unger’s relationship with her mum veers from the tetchy to the impossible, an atmosphere created from her earliest memories when she realised Mom wasn’t the cookie-baking, warm-hugging type of mother but the kind who keeps secrets and deliberately files away information as ammunition for the future. But Debbie doesn’t get it all her own way in this show, as dead Mom also gets to butt in with some observations and home truths. Structurally, it’s a confessional narrative, with daughter Debbie setting the pace, but Ms Unger really comes to life when giving us some of her mum’s unwelcome interruptions. There are some entertaining characterisations of the people in Debbie and Mum’s lives, and the only prop is a sequence of changing photo cards, confirming the time and place of the story’s progress – not that they lend much to the proceedings. Although she likes her mum more now that she is dead – the clue is in the title – we never really see the transformation from irritated, put-upon daughter to loving, mentally at ease daughter. Nevertheless, it’s a smart, engaging hour from Deborah Unger, based on her own experience, and there will be something here that everyone will recognise from their own childhood.

The Problem, Assembly Rooms.

3-starsWe’ve all been there. A perfect system works perfectly until somehow, unpredictably, a problem emerges. But how to solve it? Hopefully we’d all do better than Slater, Manning and Wilson, who display increasingly bizarre coping and solving strategies which descend into paranoia, chaos and general ludicrousness. Very slickly performed by Matthew Boston, Brian Dykstra and Patrick Frederic, who give their all in a three-way fencing tournament of wits where only the bravest gain attention and only the strongest survive. If you like an ensemble piece of wordplay, this may well be your cup of tea. It’s the kind of show that divides an audience; for me, the absurdity of it all stretched my credulity and, I’m afraid, patience beyond breaking point, but their commitment and skill are never in doubt.

Gareth Waugh: Is Pepsi OK? Monkey Barrel Comedy.

3-starsFans of stand-up comedy are familiar with the concept of comedy as therapy, where a comic relates a tragic sequence of events to help them come to terms with what’s happened to them – frequently sacrificing laughs for the sake of their mental health. In Is Pepsi OK? Gareth Waugh has already come to terms with the hurt and damage caused by a very proficient conman, but there is still an element of healing therapy as he relates the extraordinary events of the summer of 2023. En route, there’s some great material about performing stand-up on cruise ships and at a darts tournament, but it’s the story of his work with Coca-Cola that dominates the hour. Gareth is a terrific storyteller and his tale is engrossing – indeed, frequently anguish-inducing – even if it isn’t always laugh-out-loud funny, and he works hard to spin it into the most positive experience he can. So many morals to this tale: I’d recommend checking the veracity of email addresses first.

Two Halves, TheSpace Triplex.

4-starsA thought-provoking two-hander where rising woman’s football star Sophie and fading Welsh rugby player Sean start a relationship following a chance meeting at an American sports awards ceremony. A series of intensely written and tightly performed scenes reveal pivotal moments in their relationship over the coming years, when both sides show the strain of facing scrutiny under the spotlight of social media and the physical demands of their chosen professions. The pressures of both being at very different stages of their careers, and even the importance of superstition rituals provide an additional level of tension. A combination of romcom, sports docudrama and psychological breaking points, it’s riveting to watch, and unusual and original subject matter for this very promising first play by Sam Rowlands and direction by Zoe Lerman, who also appear as Sean and Sophie. Recommended!

SpinQueen, Greenside @ George Street.

Feeling insecure, unfit, or generally worthless? No problem, leave it to Meg to put you through your paces in a 45-minute spin class, where good posture reveals emotional brittleness and measurable numbers count for everything. Our wannabe theatre kid trainer must have a golden existence with that toned body and her inexorable drive. But we’re only human and sometimes the miseries of real life perform mission creep on your daily workout… Megan Tomei gives an outstanding performance as the irrepressible but surprisingly fragile Meg for whom not even exercise is the answer to everything, Three-quarters hilarious and one-quarter absorbingly tragic, it’s simply staged with just a spin bike, a very clever stage make-up effect (I’ll say no more) and one of those hearty musical workout tracks. SpinQueen gives us a heartfelt and horrifying peek into the real life of someone truly on the edge.

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Phil Nichol and Paul Tonkinson, Work in Progress, Cheyne Walk Club, Northampton, 30th July 2026

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Phil Nichol and Paul TonkinsonTime for the final Edinburgh Preview show this summer, before the Fringe gets underway next week. Once again, those nice people at the Comedy Crate have put together a double bill of top-quality comedians to hone their material before the Big Event.

Our first act, however, doesn’t have an Edinburgh show this year – instead, Paul Tonkinson promised us an hour of his best material, and he certainly delivered that. He has the aura of an old-school, rather traditional comedian, taking familiar, relatable subjects like wife, kids, sex, etc, but with a deceptively modern twist. We learned about skiing holidays hosted by the mysterious Pierre, how despite hailing from Yorkshire, living in north London means he is surrounded by posh kids, and how doggy style in their household has a somewhat different meaning. Very likeable, very confident, with an easy delivery, his set was an excellent start to the evening.

Comedy CrateAfter the interval it was time for someone we’ve seen many times before, the always engaging and dynamic Phil Nichol. If you search his name in the Edinburgh Fringe site you’ll find he’s involved in no fewer than four Edinburgh shows this year, but his work in progress yesterday was for his new show, Aren’t We Lucky, which will play every day at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 5th to 30th August except the 17th. Aren’t We Lucky has a rather cosmic premise, which I won’t spoil for you, suffice to say that the odds that we are all together at the same time to enjoy the same performance are pretty low. Lou Reed and the Barenaked Ladies play a part – as do Phil’s very Christian parents – other very non-Christian parents are also available. En route, we discover the benefits of being 61, and the story of how his family managed to gain Canadian citizenship. He presents an eclectic jumble of comedy threads, all delivered in his trademark high-energy, lovable rascal style. He was the first to admit there’s still a little bit of work to do before Edinburgh, but – hey, he’s still got six days! And we were all overdosing on laughter anyway, so I’m sure this show will be a great success at the Fringe.

And that’s it for the comedy previews – next week, the serious business starts!

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Finlay Christie and Larry Dean, Work in Progress, The Lamplighter, Northampton, 27th July 2026

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Larry Dean and Finlay ChristieUnsurprisingly, the Lamplighter was sold out last night as those nice people at the Comedy Crate spoiled us with another opportunity to witness two young masters of the comedic art sharpening their knives on their material in preparation for their Edinburgh Fringe runs in August.

First up was Finlay Christie, making final adjustments for his Edinburgh show, Champagne Casanova, at the Monkey Barrel from 3rd to 30th August. The message of his new show is essentially to beware flattery, a lesson he seems to have learned the hard way. Mr C riffs off his private education background – wise to address that issue in the early stages – and then launches into a few hair-raising sequences, including the lengths you can go to participate in crime in New Orleans, and how to put the North into North Korea. He explains his gratitude for billionaires, and the appropriateness of being congratulated on the size of one’s manhood. Seemingly effortless on stage, he’s always super engaging and likeable, exuding a natural confidence which is constantly being challenged by a delightful hint of self-deprecation. The show is pretty much Fringe-ready, and I’m sure it will be a big hit.

Comedy CrateAfter the interval, it was time for Larry Dean, honing his ideas in preparation for his Edinburgh show, Hellbent, at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5th to 30th August (8th, 10th and 11th are already sold out). A marvellous comedy presence on stage, he gets great humour out of his intimidating appearance – those eyes could unsettle you for days – whilst actually being a kindly, people-pleasing soul who wouldn’t want you to go away with a bad impression of Scotland. The main thrust of this new show is his rather tortuous path to getting married – to Michael, cue one of Mr D’s amazingly funny accents, outrageous Black Country. En route, we discover why Stage 1 Autism is called Stage 1 Autism, how a haunted house can rescue you from a lawsuit, and what it was like to meet the King at the Royal Variety. Iranian relatives and an innocent question about a gay couple by an 8-year-old also play a part. Larry Dean enjoys himself tremendously on stage and his enthusiasm spreads to us all; you’ve never a moment’s doubt that you’re in the presence of a true master of comedy. He’s going to go down a storm at the Fringe!

One more Edinburgh preview show coming up on Thursday before the comedy world decamps to the Scottish capital!

Review – The Comedy Crate Festival, Part Two, Northampton, 18th July 2026

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Comedy CrateAs if one all-dayer comedy festival last month wasn’t enough, those nice people at the Comedy Crate have spoiled us with a second all-dayer on Saturday 18th July. Another fifteen acts all vying for our attention in three venues at five time slots, all for the risibly cheap price of £25. It would have been a crime not to take them up on the offer! Everybody makes their own choices, and so everyone’s individual programme for the day will have been different – but here’s ours:

2 pm – Marty Gleeson in The Lamplighter

Comedy Crate All-Dayer July 2026Preparing for her Edinburgh Fringe show, Dog Ear, at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5 – 30 August, Marty Gleeson presents us with a surreal selection of comic situations and fantasies that appear totally unconnected – until she weaves them all into a satisfying narrative at the end. Some of her material is downright weird and you can’t second-guess where she might be going with any of it! The title of the show comes from an observation made by an Art school teacher that nothing a creative artist shows us is accidental – it’s all there for a purpose. How does that fit in? You’ll have to see the show to find out! A work in progress show, so some areas need tightening up, but I’m sure it will be spick and span for Edinburgh. Highlights include a hilarious funeral service and some truly surreal newscasting. A veritable queen of quirkiness – just don’t call her adorable!

3.30 pm – Toussaint Douglass in The Black Prince

Last year we saw Toussaint Douglass’ WIP pre-Edinburgh show and felt it needed an awful lot of work before it got to the Fringe – and what happened? Terrific reviews and sell-out shows. This year, he hasn’t got an Edinburgh show but instead came to try out some new ideas and comic concepts to see if they’ve got legs. As you would expect, some of them do and some of them don’t. But what Mr D always has on his side is his engaging stage persona and cheeky daring when it comes to interacting with the audience. He’s excited to be the possessor of a lawn (he is from Lewisham, after all), he has an optimistic view on knife crime and overdrafts, and is keen to discover how to be a Dad. He rounded his set off with a game of What Cheese is in the Box; one member of the audience got quite close, but not close enough to win the prize (which is, presumably, the cheese).  No doubt he will sift through the hour we all spent together and sort out the wheat from the chaff. It’s what Work in Progress is all about!

5 pm – Morgan Rees in The Black Prince

New to us, Morgan Rees is putting the finishing touches together for his touring show, the subtly titled What a Bummer! which will also have a brief slot at the Edinburgh Fringe at Monkey Barrel 2 from 11 – 15 August. I’m not sure about what a bummer, but certainly, what a find! Mr Rees is a breath of fresh air on stage, one of those people who just convey a natural air of happiness and positivity; you sense he would always look on the bright side of everything. Comfortably confident with loads of excellent material, much of which is about sharing his experience of coming out as gay. In many ways he provides a public service of explaining it straight to the straights, so to speak; I can imagine Mr R does more than his fair share to simply eliminate homophobia. Extremely funny and extremely likeable, he is definitely one to watch, and I’d say What a Bummer is at least 95% finished article. Be careful with your crop tops!

7 pm – Andrew Maxwell in The Charles Bradlaugh

Someone else new to us, although he’s so well known he really oughtn’t to be, Andrew Maxwell will have a three-night stand at the Edinburgh Fringe at the International Convention Centre from 14 – 16 August. One of those supremely confident and gifted comedians who you would never think would need to resort to a work in progress show as it all tumbles out of their head fully formed and laughter-perfect. Slickly delivered, his hilarious material kept us laughing for much longer than his allotted hour. A very safe bet in Edinburgh (or indeed, wherever he turns up).

8.30 pm – Andrew White in The Lamplighter

Andrew White is crossing his t’s and dotting his i’s in preparation for his Edinburgh show, What A Life! coming to the Cabaret Voltaire at Monkey Barrel from 3 – 30 August. We last saw him doing his Retirement Tour show seven years ago at the age of 19. Now at the grand old age of 26, he’s seen a bit more of the world and the trials and tribulations that life can chuck at you, and in this show he’s working out how to juggle grief with friendships and relationships. Mr White is a naturally engaging communicator and his narrative flows logically; and he has plenty of good material which will make his Edinburgh show work well. It still needs a bit of sharpening up and the addition of a bit more bite, but it’s getting there and, after all, that’s what a work in progress show is for. At the end, Mr W has a big secret to reveal – we were all sworn to secrecy so I couldn’t possibly tell you what it was, you’ll have to see his show to find out!

Do you think if we ask politely, those nice people at the Comedy Crate will do this all again next year? In the meantime, there are still some more Edinburgh preview shows to come – our next one will be on 27th July to see Larry Dean and Finlay Christie at the Lamplighter!

Review – Alfie Moore, Acopalypse Now, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 28th June 2026

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Within the first few minutes of his show, Alfie Moore asked the audience how many of them listen to his Radio 4 show. Judging from the response, I’d guess it was about 95%. He certainly knows his audience! This left Mrs Chrisparkle and me feeling like a pair of frauds as we’ve never heard his radio show, we only know him from live performance. You don’t need to know his radio output though, although it might put you at a slight advantage at odd moments if you do!

He cuts quite an ungainly appearance on stage, a slightly wobbly gait and adopting some odd angles, as though he’s just disembarked ship and hasn’t yet found his land legs. But that all goes to make his stage persona, that of an experienced police officer looking after the good folk of Scunthorpe for decades, more believable. And whilst most of his material comes from police experience, he’s not above throwing in a few Dad Jokes on the way, and to be honest those create some of his biggest laughs.

The title, Acopalypse Now, is not a typo, despite what his poster printers may have thought; it’s his policing slant on what’s going to cause the end of the world. What a jolly subject for a comedy show! But it works, as it enables Alfie to go through a number of scenarios, bringing out a fair amount of gallows humour en route. What’s it to be? Pandemic? War? Climate change? The Domination of AI? The way things are going at the moment it’s a lottery between all of them.

There are number of running themes throughout his two-hour show, including his acquiring a bike to cycle to work as part of a police drive towards saving the planet, and his dealings with a young Just Stop Oil protestor; and they become the source of many an entertaining callback. He discusses the art of the erudite heckle; and invites the audience to act as police officers for the night, choosing which course of action out of several we would opt for if it was down to us. That proved to me what a woeful police officer I would be.

His style is neither laid back nor frenetic, but somewhere between the two; and his pace is normally set to quite gradual (sometimes perhaps a little too gradual) although he can sometimes accelerate to bullet-point rapid. Basically, he talks like a police officer, which I guess is what we all paid for. As you would expect he’s confident with addressing audience members individually, asking them questions to justify their decisions or identify their attitudes – at times I wondered if we should all have been given a caution at the start so that this information could be used in evidence. One particular strength of his storytelling technique is his ability to weave facts and true stories or cases into his material, which makes everything he says totally believable. He describes events clearly so that you can completely envisage them in your mind’s eye, which really brings his material to life; a gift that not every comedian has.

There are plenty of laughs, and a lot of moments of understanding and agreement; but perhaps also the occasional longueur where you want him to get on with it a bit more! But if you like his radio show then I’m sure his stage show will feel like a natural extension. The Acopalypse Now tour continues into November, and he will be gracing the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

Review – The Comedy Crate and Northampton Comedy Festival present Felicity Ward and Lindsey Santoro, Work in Progress, V&B Wine Bar, Northampton, 25th June 2026

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Comedy Crate - Lindsey Santoro and Felicity WardContinuing that endless quest for pre-Edinburgh perfection, those nice people at the Comedy Crate treated us to two more work in progress shows on probably the hottest night of the year, so the comedy stars had to be good to keep our attention. Fortunately, they were!

First up was Felicity Ward, who is brushing up her material for her Edinburgh show, I Wish I Could Come Out of My Shell, on at the Cabaret Voltaire from 17th to 30th August. It’s a lovely ironic title as there are few people who have abandoned their shell more than Felicity. A recent ADHD diagnosis (no, really?!) after becoming newly divorced, and, after a year or so of quietly coming to terms with it all, she’s now hit the dating apps, thereby discovering all sorts of new things about herself. She has some great material about bi-dating and the different vibes you get from different apps; she also reflects on her favourite TV show, Alone, gives all the inside information on her appearances in Australia’s Dancing with the Stars, and a no-holds-barred sequence of needing to do a poo when her son also needed one – let’s just say necessity was the mother of invention. A fast and exhilarating delivery of well-structured and very funny material, there’s very little further tweaking needed before she hits Edinburgh – this will be a comedy highlight of the Fringe I’m sure.

Comedy CrateAfter the interval we welcomed Lindsey Santoro, an effervescent presence of uninhibited comic ideas, who hits the ground running with frenetic attack, a wonderfully confiding nature, and some bold material that takes us where angels fear to tread. She’s preparing for her Edinburgh show, It Was Like That When I Got Here, also at the Cabaret Voltaire, from 19th to 30th August. Much of her material is based on surviving married life as wife and mother; and she includes a hilarious sequence of going to a Haven Holidays Caravan Site, the unusual selfies she was advised to take when pregnant, and the secret pleasures of women in the jacuzzi. There’s some refinement needed to make all the material dovetail and choose exactly the right words at times, but that’s just what a Work in Progress show is all about; and Ms Santoro has the benefit of being a naturally outrageously funny person who holds the audience in the palm of her hand from start to finish.

A terrific blend of comedy and aircon! There are yet more Edinburgh Previews coming in the weeks ahead.

Review – The Comedy Crate and the Northampton Comedy Festival present Nathan Caton and Hasan Al-Habib, Work in Progress, The Lab, Northampton, 15th June 2026

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Nathan Caton and Hasan Al-HabibThe Northampton Comedy Festival continues courtesy of those nice people at the Comedy Crate with another Work in Progress show, featuring Nathan Caton and Hasan Al-Habib in the cosy and intimate setting of The Lab. The venue only seats 35, so it’s a comfortable way of getting a really good comedy vibe without massive queues for the bar or loos at the interval. Win win.

Our first hour was spent in the company of Hasan Al-Habib, who’s preparing his Edinburgh show Stuck in the Middle (East) with You, on at the Pleasance Courtyard from 5 to 30 August. It’s a very funny title, and Hasan is a very funny man; warm, engaging and setting up an instant rapport with the crowd. Sporting an Iraq football World Cup t-shirt, his material for his new show has a surprisingly dark side, as it centres on his own domestic situation – in his words, family trauma.

After his parents’ divorce, Hasan’s homelife was dominated by his mother and his overbearing (also vicious) aunt. This is the story of how a cruel, uncontrollable influence in the household can be injurious to your health – both mental and physical. Sounds gloomy, doesn’t it? It isn’t, as Hasan has loads of comic observations en route, from his French-Iranian girlfriend to oncology, enhanced by his great gift for character voices which bring all his stories to life. He needs to polish up the funny side for the darker second part of his show, and give it a stronger conclusion, but I’m sure it’ll be in tip-top condition come August. That is, after all, the point of a work in progress show!

He’s also part of a second Edinburgh show, together with Aisha Amanduri, called 2 Muslim 2 Furious 3: Sharia? I Hardly Know Her! on daily between 6th and 30th August at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, which I’m sure will also be worth checking out.

Comedy CrateAfter the interval we welcomed Nathan Caton, someone we’ve seen many times before, who doesn’t have an Edinburgh show in the offing but is working up some material to take on tour next year. It’s been an astonishing thirteen years since we first saw a young Nathan at a Screaming Blue Murder where he was a breath of fresh air whom we could have watched all night. Now in his forties, he already beginning to feel old (I can tell him, there’s a long way to go yet!) Thus, a lot of his new material is based on feeling old and out of touch, including how on earth did he ever go to nightclubs, and what’s all this pronoun nonsense about? Talking of age, he has some gruellingly funny reminiscences of appearing on P&O ships, has a great solution to the problem of children using social media, and has a novel idea for appearing on Don’t Tell the Bride. He admitted there was no link between any of his ideas, he just wanted to find out what was funny and what wasn’t – but Mr C has such a deft delivery that everything comes across as funny!

A very enjoyable night of WIPs! And there’s plenty more of these to choose from on The Comedy Crate website.

Review – Comedy Underground, Royal and Derngate Northampton, 11th June 2026

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A slightly different format for a comedy mixed bill at the Royal and Derngate; originally to be held in the Royal Theatre with the catchy title Avalon Mixed Bill Comedy Night, it moved to the more suitable Underground venue, and retained the traditional structure of one host, two intervals and three acts. Why change a winning formula?

A change of billing may have necessitated a change of MC, because our host for the evening was the incredible Chloe Petts, and she’s just as assured an MC as she is a headliner, taking charge of proceedings with boundless energy, and striking up a terrific rapport with the crowd. The start of the World Cup gave her the opportunity to talk about her favourite subject (not Donald Trump, although…?) and she also got to know all about front row Adrian (fibre optics, Warhammer), the two sets of jolly neighbours from Cogenhoe, and guessed accurately that another set of four friends were into Amdram. One of our favourite comedians, she was on tip top form and it was a delight to have her in charge.

Our first act, and new to us, was Jonny Pelham; his mild-mannered stage persona only goes to emphasise how daring and boundary-pushing some of his material can be. Among his subjects were the pros and cons of being rich and stupid, the concept of the chicken nonce, and the benefits of being on one of the NHS’ most dubious waiting lists. Entertainingly self-deprecating, he’s certainly one of those comedians who rummage around where angels fear to tread, but he does it with a nicely understated aplomb. He’s also very funny, which is the main thing!

Next up, also new to us and in a change to the advertised line-up, was Tom Lawrinson, whose stage persona is hard to pin down – he’s like a slippery slice of mercury, flowing uncontrollably, flashy on the outside and with a lethal edge. He reminded me slightly of an early incarnation of Russell Brand, back when he was funny and not a menace; intriguing and just a little sinister. He also has some pretty daring material, oriented in family but with a surreal twist, such as how he still has a bedroom at the family home full of his stuff that he certainly doesn’t want around him now, but woe betide you if you tamper with it. He has some extremely funny material about buying sex toys at Big Tesco. A bold choice for Northampton; he might be more at home somewhere trendier and more Bohemian!

Our headliner was someone we only saw a few days ago but with (almost) totally different material – the irrepressible Glenn Moore. Seemingly effortless, although I know that an amazing amount of effort goes into creating his sets, the man is a wit machine who scarcely pauses for breath between each superbly creative idea. He’s the kind of comedian whose material is delivered so freshly and constantly topped up, that it’s impossible to recall his earlier themes because you’re already so engaged on the next one. That said, I totally guffawed at his “Voice Over Awards” sequence; and to wind up his act (and indeed the audience) he had one of the best parting lines ever, which I won’t spoil for you but still has me laughing out loud a day later. You can never go wrong with Glenn Moore; he’s one of the absolute greats.

Overall, a very enjoyable night of comedy and Avalon are welcome to bring another selection of their finest to Northampton whenever they want!