Mark Watson
A former Cambridge Footlighter, Mark Watson first made an impact on the comedy circuit in 2002 when he won the Daily Telegraph Open Mic competition and was a runner-up in ‘So You Think You’re Funny?’
He has become known for his Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows (2005’s ’50 Years Before Death And The Awful Prospect Of Eternity’ was nominated for the Perrier Award) and his gruelling shows that last more than 24 hours. Perrier’s successor, the if.comeddies, awarded Mark their Panel Award in 2007, for best capturing the spirit of The Fringe.
Mark was the Chortle Award winner for innovation in 2005. He was nominated for best breakthrough act in the same year, as well as for Best Compere in 2007.
He is also a novelist, with his debut book Bullet Points published in 2003. Mark has written for TV and in 2007 landed his first radio series, ‘Mark Watson Makes The World Substantially Better’.
Rich Hall
Rich Hall, the grouchy, deadpan, comic genius quit his job as a hurricane namer for the United States Meteorological Service two decades ago and hasn’t looked back. Looking like a Pearl Jam roadie, Rich is a master of absurdist irony while eschewing the human condition. He particularly likes to lay into Americans and life across The Pond at every opportunity.
As Rich Hall the stand-up, he has visited the Edinburgh Fringe Festival several times and performed at the major comedy clubs in the UK and across the world. He is well known in the US for appearing and writing on The David Letterman Show – for which he won two Emmy Awards.
As a singer-songwriter, Rich has written and presented his own TV shows in the UK, in particular ‘How the West Was Lost’ (2008), a thought-provoking documentary for the BBC. He also wrote and starred in ‘Rich Hall’s Cattle Drive’, ‘Rich Hall’s Election Special’ and ‘Rich Hall’s Fishing Show’ with Mike Wilmot.
In the US, Rich has appeared on The David Letterman Show and Saturday Night Live. In the UK, Rich has appeared on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Jack Dee’s Sunday Service and Edinburgh Nights.
“An evening spent in the company of this American hero is one of the most gratifying and (yes) joyful experiences to be had on the comedy circuit.”
The Independent
Zoe Lyons
Zoe started out in comedy in 2003, having previously trained as an actress. A year later she won the Funny Women Competition and her very first Edinburgh
Festival show was nominated for the prestigious Best Newcomer Award.
Now firmly established on the UK comedy scene, Zoe is a regular on Radio 4 comedy and TV, including Have I Got News For You, Live at the Apollo and even as a semi-finalist on Celebrity Masterchef!
Annie McGrath
Annie is a comedy writer and performer who made her debut character comedy and stand-up solo performance in Edinburgh in 2015. She has been shortlisted for the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award and was a two-time finalist for the Tickled Pig stand-up competition.
Annie is a big name on the London comedy club circuit and has performed up and down the UK at clubs and festivals. She also writes and performs as one half of the double-act ‘Twins with Jack Barry’. The Twins’ latest Edinburgh show, Pret a Comedy, was produced in association with Hat Trick Productions and was described as “ridiculously funny…and genuinely impressive” by the Edinburgh Reporter. It was also selected as one of James Acaster’s ‘Top Picks of the Fringe 2015’ for The Guardian.
Ross Smith
Since he starting gigging in 2015, Ross has taken the comedy circuit (and the internet) by storm. He’s a regular and host at some of London’s biggest comedy clubs, as well as performing nationwide. His personable, relaxed style and contemporary material, underpinned by clever wordplay and self-deprecating humour, has made him one of the UK’s most exciting acts and quick-witted hosts.
In 2018, he made headlines around the world when he agreed to go on holiday with complete strangers, taking the place of another man called Ross Smith. His viral adventure and its aftermath is the subject of his debut Edinburgh show ‘I Am Ross Smith’.
His second critically acclaimed show, Crying/Shame (2019,) boasted two of The Dave Award’s Top Ten Jokes Of The Fringe, alongside a plethora of fantastic reviews.
Ross has also featured in Karl Pilkington’s Sky One sitcom, Sick Of It, and will return to TV screens in 2021 on various projects.
Jeff Japers
Award winning comedian Jeff, originated from Glossop in the North of England and moved to Pontypridd in South Wales in 1992. He’s been writing comedy songs for over 20 years, performing them on the Welsh music scene, both with his band Gaudy Orde and as a solo artist, to great acclaim. Jeff is an exceptionally talented ukulele player.
In 2015 he brought his songs to the comedy circuit and by 2016 Jeff got to the finals of the Welsh Unsigned Stand-up Awards (WUSA). His stand up set is a cabaret-style performance using songs, jokes and slideshow to present Jeff’s whimsical view of the world.
He’s since become a regular headliner on the Welsh performance scene, including Green Man and the Uke-A-Bay Festival. Jeff provides a self-defined ‘entertaining musical performance of inoffensive daftness’.
Circus Berzercus
Circus Berzercus presents fun-filled, family-friendly entertainment, with classic clowning, street-type performances and circus skills workshops.
Steve Eldridge and Ben Cornish, two experienced performers in juggling, magic, escapology, mind reading, plate spinning, diablo, stilt-walking, clowning (and much more) established Circus Berzercus in 1996 “to create accessible quality family entertainment, using the traditions of circus clowning and variety in a modern context”.
>Steve and Ben run workshops for aspiring circus performers, of all ages, keen to learn the basics of juggling, plate-spinning, balancing and magic. This is followed by their award-winning show ‘Komedy of Errors’, where their dazzling skills, chaotic clowning, unique unicycling and mind-boggling magic are displayed in all their glory. Audience participation is compulsory, with the stars of the show being the workshops attendees …
“I liked the bit when I had to go and help them, I didn’t know I could do tricks like that.” — Toby (age 6)
Prepared to be amazed, to laugh (a lot) and not want the curtain to fall. A real fun-filled, spectacular, extravaganza!