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Matt Forde: End Of An Era Tour
Finally, the UK has a new government. That can only mean one thing: new people to take the piss out of.
Leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (British Scandal, Spitting Image, The Last Leg) makes this his personal mission.
'Possibly the best political comedy show on the Fringe' ★★★★★ The Telegraph
'Our foremost satirical stand-up... Whatever your politics, you’ll find excellence here' The Sunday Times
'Demand to see Forde in action at the Pleasance outstrips supply – the place is rammed…dependably slick' The Daily Telegraph
'The excellent Matt Forde… even more accurate than Starmer’s needling voice' The Spectator
Courtyard Theatre
£18
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Zoe Lyons - Werewolf
If life is a journey, Zoe’s has had more than its share of potholes and diversions.
From diving with sharks, to sitting in a shed in Vietnam with a former health secretary (and discovering that MPs aren’t the only parasites she has to worry about). Navigating the road to happiness can be exhausting and baffling. Zoe’s begun to think that even Wim Hof would prefer to be tucked up with a nice hot water bottle every now and then.
But Zoe’s been on that road long enough now that she’s felt a change – not as in the menopause. A real change. If happiness is ending up the best version of yourself, Zoe is finally getting there. She is where she needs to be. She is… werewolf.
The host of BBC’s Lightning, a regular on Have I Got News For You, QI, and Mock The Week – and a survivor of Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins and World’s Most Dangerous Roads on Dave – Zoe is one of the country’s best-loved comedians.
'A hugely enjoyable mix of brutal put downs and richly funny stories, Lyons has what it takes to delight any crowd' Guardian
'A tremendously good comic operating at a vertiginous level.' ★★★★ The Wee Review
'Confident and razor sharp' Observer
Age guidance: 14+ years
Courtyard Theatre
£17
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- 28 Feb SOLD OUT
Suzi Ruffell: Work in Progress
Join Suzi as she warms up ahead of her brand-new UK tour!
Courtyard Theatre
£18
Katie Norris - Farm Fatale
The smash hit, critically acclaimed debut solo show from an agricultural icon.
Likely to cause delight or distress to anyone who becomes involved with her, or her livestock.
‘Tremendous… Wonderfully batty and unapologetic, a solo debut to cherish’ ★★★★ Guardian
'What an intense, unpredictable and hilarious show this is... Brought to exhilarating life by a sensational performance that it takes on an epic life' ★★★★ Chortle
'The poise she displays with her expressive comic physicality, well, it's a sublime, witch's brew of ingredients for a first-rate debut' ★★★★ Scotsman
'Cracking solo debut hour... Norris really cannot put a foot wrong' ★★★★ List
As seen on BBC New Comedy Awards 2023.
Musical Comedy Awards 2023 | Winner
NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy 2024 | Nominee
Mervy Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe 2024 | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Age guidance
16+ years
Studio
£15
Insta katienorris26
Justin Moorhouse: The Greatest Performance of My Life
A poignant exploration of comedy intertwined with the essence of life's ups and downs.
Justin's unparalleled ability to blend side-splitting humour with touching insights offers a rare glimpse into the human condition through the lens of a comedian.
This performance is more than just a series of jokes - it's a heartfelt journey through the joys, sorrows, and hilarity of life, delivered with Justin's characteristic charisma and warmth. Prepare to laugh, reflect and connect deeply with every story, making this evening an unforgettable highlight in your cultural calendar.
'What sets him apart is the craft. Lightning fast wit, masterful delivery' ★★★★ Chortle
'If joke-telling is your thing, then Justin Moorhouse is your man...very high gag rate' ★★★★ Fest
'Skilful crafting... he keeps the laughs coming' ★★★★ British Theatre Guide
'He charms the pants off the crowd' Sunday Times
'The amount of first-rate comic craft that goes into his routines is worthy of admiration' Guardian
'Simultaneously down-to-earth and out of this world' The List
Age guidance
14+ years
Courtyard Theatre
£16 | £6 unwaged with proof of JSA
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Avalon Edinburgh Preview: Matt Forde and Chloe Petts
A double header of comedy as two top comedians warm up ahead of the Edinburgh Festival.
Matt Forde
Matt Forde is one of the country’s most in demand satirists.
Described as 'our foremost satirical stand-up' by The Sunday Times, Matt Forde has toured critically acclaimed shows nationwide including most recently Clowns To The Left of Me, Jokers To The Right in 2022 and Inside No. 10 in 2023.
Matt Forde’s hit live podcast The Political Party transferred to the West End’s Duchess Theatre in 2021 after over 70 sold out shows at Westminster’s The Other Palace, for a twice extended fortnightly residency continuing in to 2024. Matt has brought Parliament to life with his stand-up and debate with some of politics’ most powerful figures including Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, Tony Blair, Eddie Izzard, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Angela Rayner, Michael Heseltine, Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown and Gary Neville. Matt has received numerous nominations from award bodies including the British Podcast Awards and Chortle Awards and the show is regularly highlighted as a top podcast pick in the press.
Matt wrote and voiced characters for Spitting Image (BritBox/ITV) including Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. Matt currently presents Absolute Radio’s weekly Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show. He is also the co-host of Wondery’s flagship British Podcast Award winning British Scandal alongside Alice Levine.
In 2019 alone, Matt hosted the Alternative News Desk for Channel 4’s election night coverage, chaired the One Nation Conservative leadership hustings and debated Britain’s withdrawal from the EU with Tony Blair for the Institute of Global Change.
Matt hosted four series of Unspun with Matt Forde on Dave, receiving several nominations at the Broadcast Digital Awards, and has numerous other broadcast credits including: Have I Got News For You (BBC One), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Mock The Week (BBC Two), 8 out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave) Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report and Rory Bremner’s Election Report (BBC Two), Question Time (BBC One), This Week (BBC One), Newsnight (BBC Two) and Daily Politics (BBC Two).
Matt’s first book Politically Homeless was listed by The Sunday Times as one the Best Political Books of 2020.
Chloe Petts
'One of the most compelling young comics' Brian Logan, The Guardian
'Clearly a rising star whose name will soon be in lights' Bruce Dessau, The Evening Standard
Chloe has established herself as one of the most exciting up and coming acts on the circuit.
Chloe is returning to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer with her new show How You See Me, How You Don’t. This comes after a UK Tour of her show If You Can’t Say Anything Nice which sold-out in the first week of the Edinburgh Fringe last year, leading to 6 extra shows being added to the run. In 2022, she performed her debut show Transience to sold-out audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and for two five night runs at Soho Theatre, which led to a tour around the rest of the UK which ended with an extra date added at London’s Leicester Square Theatre. Receiving rave reviews from publications including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Evening Standard.
On television and radio, Chloe recently appeared on Have I Got News For You (BBC One), and hosted her own segment every Saturday morning on Sky Sports News. She has also been a regular on The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio), World Cup Breakfast (Sky Sports) for the Men’s Football World Cup 2022 and previously for Good Morning Euros (Sky Sports) for the UEFA Women’s Euros. Further appearances include MOTDx (BBC), Jonathan Ross’s Comedy Club (ITV), The Stand-Up Sketch Show (ITV2), Richard Osman’s House of Games (BBC Two), Random Acts (Channel 4), Hypothetical (Dave), Fighting Talk (BBC Radio 5 Live), BBC Three Quickies (BBC Three), as well as winning Pointless Celebrities (BBC One). In terms of podcasts, Chloe has appeared on Off Menu, Films to Buried With and co-hosted The Guilty Feminist.
An alumna of the prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve, shortlisted for the BBC Comedy Award, finalist of Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Awards 2017 and runner-up in the Funny Women Awards 2017. As well as supporting Ed Gamble on current Hot Diggity Dog UK tour and previous tour Electric, Chloe has supported Frank Skinner during his West End run and performed at Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year and last year.
She is a co-founder of The Lol Word, a queer comedy collective that hosts sell-out monthly London nights, boasting the finest female and non-binary queer acts on the circuit. Their most recent Edinburgh run was a sell-out. Diva Magazine has described it as a space that is demographically queer, inclusive, and safe, and on top of all of that – the comedic talent is smart, insightful, hilarious, and completely relatable.
Studio
£12
Matt Forde
Matt's website
Chloe Petts
Chloe's website
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Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us
20 years in stand up for the Taskmaster cheeky texts icon, multi-award winner, YouTube cult figure, Radio 4 favourite and recently Baby Reindeer actor.
Mark Watson returns after seasons at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh comedy festivals. A recent encounter with a stranger caused Mark to spend some time pondering the uncertain future facing humanity. He explores this - along with equally pressing matters like the worst word he has ever said in public, the current state of the UK sausage industry, and much more - in a typically frantic and fun-packed new show.
'A genius-level comic doing what he does best' ★★★★★ Time Out Melbourne
'Quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in almost 20 years of covering the Fringe...witty, warm, perfectly judged' ★★★★★ Telegraph
'One of the most genuinely joyous presences in comedy' ★★★★ The Times
'This is a stand-up operating at the very top of his game' ★★★★ Independent
Courtyard Theatre
£22.50
Paul Chowdhry Tour Warm Up
Multi-award winning stand up comedian, actor and writer Paul Chowdhry will be warming up for his forthcoming tour.
Renowned as the most successful British Indian stand up comedian in British history, Paul’s career is marked by numerous accolades and ground-breaking achievements. In a remarkable feat, Paul completed his Family-Friendly Comedian nationwide UK tour from 2021 to 2023, which saw three extensions due to overwhelming demand, as well a tour through the US, Canada, and the UAE.
This tour garnered widespread praise, culminating in a sold-out run at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023, where it earned rave reviews and ratings ranging from 4 to 5 stars. Paul’s Family-Friendly Comedian tour show was released by SKY as a special in 2024.
Paul became the first British Asian stand-up comedian to sell out the 10,000-seat Wembley Arena, with approximately 100,000 tickets sold across his 'Live, Innit' tour. His unforgettable performance at Wembley Arena was voted one of the venue’s top ten shows of 2017 by the public.
Paul is set to host the new series of Live at The Apollo after first making an appearance in 2012.
Studio
£20
Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far
Winner of the Best Kids’ Show at the 2024 Leicester Comedy Festival.
After a sell out run at last year’s Fringe, comedian and children's author Olaf Falafel is dishing up another frying pan full of family-friendly comedy.
The comedy show comedians take their kids to is back and even funnier!
Join Olaf Falafel (if that is his real name) for an hour of kid's comedy which will be the stupidest he has ever let trickle from his brain. Expect sausage birds, radioactive bogies and truth-telling cheese. There will definitely be a time-travelling portal to the future, some farts and a live drawalong.
Be there or be a dodecahedron!
Time Out Top 10 Kids' Shows 2024.
The Times Edinburgh Festival Family Highlights 2024
'Olaf Falafel is a perfectly ridiculous festival must see' Shaparak Khorsandi
'My son’s favourite comedian, which is upsetting given my profession' Geoff Norcott
'Very very very silly' Josie Long
Studio
£12 | £10 under 16s | Family and Friends (4 people) £40
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