Avalon are the UK's leading comedy agent - they bring two top comedians previewing their material ahead of the Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Glenn Moore

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Glenn Moore is a comedian, actor and one of the best and most prolific joke writers in the country.

Glenn is a regular face on TV, having appeared on Mock The Week (BBC), Rob Delaney’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central) and The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2).

His critically acclaimed stand up show Glenn, Glenn, Glenn, How Do You Like It, How Do You Like It was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. He also toured the UK with his follow up hit Edinburgh show Love Don’t Live Here Glenny More. He is a staff writer on the sketch comedy show Scrambled (CITV) and has written for The Mash Report (BBC), Play To The Whistle (ITV), and Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC).

Jarlath Regan

Stand up and host of multi-award winning global hit podcast An Irishman Abroad. Jarlath’s ability to extract honesty from the likes of Sir Bob Geldof, Gabriel Byrne and Boy George has become legendary.

Jarlath’s other credits include Tonight at the Palladium (ITV), Stand up Central (Comedy Central) Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC3) Comedy Central’s The World Stands Up (Comedy Central), Last Comic Standing (NBC).

Studio
£12

•  18 May from £12

The fourth national tour for Geoff Norcott, following on the back of Conswervative, Traditionalism and Taking Liberties.

This time Geoff talks less politics (alright, there will probably be a bit), but this brand-new show will mostly explore personal responsibility, parenting and who should take the blame when things go wrong.

Whatever happened to the idea of personal responsibility? In the age of victimhood, it seems like whatever’s wrong with your life it can be blamed on someone else. Governments, employers… some bigot from four hundred years ago.

Where did it go wrong? It has to be the parents. Every generation there’s an opportunity for a new set of mums and dads to set their kids straight and make a stand against whatever trendy nonsense is currently doing the rounds. But do we? Or is it easier to give into fear and the pursuit of a quiet life?

Geoff has realised he’s also a bag of contradictions. Raised on a south London council estate by two maverick parents, there’s plenty he has to sift through. His Dad was a trade union man who obsessed over stocks and shares. His mum was a closet chauvinist and far too frank on the subject of sex.

With a child of his own, Geoff spies a one-off chance for his family to finally get it right and produce a balanced human being, but can he filter out his own bollocks before it gets to his son?

WHY? 'Sets himself apart from the liberal commentariat with a sharp self-knowing wit ★★★★ The Times

Courtyard Theatre
£16

@GeoffNorcott
@nordenfarm

Geoff Norcott's Website

•  27 May from £15

Avalon are the UK's leading comedy agent - they bring two top comedians previewing their material ahead of the Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Simon Brodkin

Famed for creating quirky characters, Simon Brodkin is one of the UK’s most popular stand up comedians. Born in London, he studied medicine at the University of Manchester but ended up a doctor-turned-comic following the success of his debut show at 2006’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Called Simon Brodkin: Everyone But Himself, it featured a handful of characters including the playful prankster Lee Nelson. The show sold out every night and also won him the Writer’s Guild Award for Best Newcomer.

Brodkin has a lengthy history of hijinks under his belt. Not only has he snuck into high-profile places like press conferences, motor shows and major football matches, but he’s also fooled famous people such as Sir Philip Green, Donald Trump, Theresa May and Kanye West. In 2017, Brodkin embarked on his Serious Joker tour and received rave reviews, with publications including The Sun calling him a 'comedy legend'.

Bella Hull

Bella Hull is a London-based stand up comedian and writer and one of the UK’s most exciting young comedians.

Bella regularly plays to sell out crowds across the UK and recently made her television debut on the BBC’s Stand Up for Live Comedy. She recently performed at the Utrecht International Comedy Festival and her writing has been featured on BBC Radio 4’s Newsjack, Flux Magazine and she is the advice columnist for Quadra magazine.

A former member of the Cambridge Footlights, Bella begun finding success on the competition circuit, winning the Yellow Comedy Young Comedian of the Year 2019 and placing in the 2NorthDown New Act Competition 2020.

Studio
£12

•   1 Jun from £12

Avalon are the UK's leading comedy agent - they bring two top comedians previewing their material ahead of the Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Ania Magliano

Ania is a rising star in on the comedy circuit and has written for Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC2), Newsjack (BBC R4), The Now Show (BBC R4) and is one of the 4 regular writers on the Have I Got News For You Twitter account. She is a writer on Amelia’s Cooking Show, a new webseries by Amelia Dimoldenberg which features guests such as Maya Jama and Romesh Ranganathan.

Jacob Hawley

The 'distinctly millennial rising star of the Edinburgh Fringe’ (New Statesman) is the presenter and creator of BBC Sounds’s Jacob Hawley: On Drugs. The show charted 12th in the UK Top Podcast charts, was recommended by Great British Podcasts, regularly featured in Apple’s New and Noteworthy list and was highlighted in Cosmopolitan’s Top 55 Podcasts. The podcast earned him an ARIA (Audio & Radio Industry Awards) 2020 Silver Award for Best New Presenter and Bronze for New Voice Award at the Audio Production Awards (APAs), sponsored by Audible. A second series Jacob Hawley: On Love has been commissioned by BBC Sounds.

Jacob is also the creator and star of BBC Radio 4’s Welcome to Britain, a solo show based on his critically acclaimed debut stand up hour Howl, with a follow up based on his second, sell out Edinburgh show Faliraki which will air in 2021.

Jacob has rapidly generated interest as one of the boldest new voices on the circuit with his astute observations and political passion. His live shows have sold out at both The Edinburgh Fringe and at London’s Soho Theatre.

Studio
£12

•  16 Jun from £12

Avalon are the UK's leading comedy agent - they bring two top comedians previewing their material ahead of the Edinburgh Festival this summer.

Sara Barron

Sara Barron is one of the fastest-rising comedians of her generation. Since her 2018 debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, she’s starred on shows including Live at the Apollo (BBC), Would I Lie to You? (BBC) and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC).

A powerhouse live act, Sara’s two stand up hours, For Worse (2018) and Enemies Closer (2019) have sold out at both the Edinburgh Festival and at multiple runs in London’s Soho Theatre.

Nick Sampson

On a blistering hot August afternoon in 1904, thirty-two athletes entered the third-ever Olympic Marathon in St Louis, Missouri. Only fourteen made it to the finish line...
What occurred in between was a perfect storm of incompetence, stupidity, betrayal, cheating, wild dogs and rat poison.

‘A beautiful gem of comedic goodness’ Three

New Zealand comedian Nic Sampson (BBC's Starstruck, UKTV's The Brokenwood Mysteries) brings to life the incredible untold story of one of the dumbest sporting events of all time.

Winner of the Best Newcomer award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival 2014.

Studio
£12

•   6 Jul from £12

A show about sexy things (awkward), private things (oh no) and a woman trying to sit on the face of time to keep it still (hot, right?).

You’ve seen Jess on Live at the Apollo, QI and on Harry Hill's Clubnite amongst other TV shows. She's a regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist Podcast, the host and creator of The Hoovering Podcast and you hear her regularly on BBC R4's News Quiz and Now Show.

Jess was nominated for the Dave Edinburgh Comedy Award – Best Show 2019 with her last show Hench, and she won Best Show and Best Breakthrough Act in the Chortle Awards 2020.

Suitable for ages 16+ years.

Courtyard Theatre
£16

Promoter Credit: Little Wander
Photo Credit: Matt Stronge

•   8 Sep from £16

If Jen Brister has learned anything in the past 18 months, it’s that she’s no good in a crisis (unless you count getting into the foetal position in under 30 seconds).

Has the pandemic changed her for the better or is she the same old pessimistic naysayer she’s always been? I think we all know the answer to that. Let’s just hope she can make it funny.

'Furiously funny' The Guardian

'Her energy is explosive. Her use of space and delivery, mesmerising' The Sunday Times

'A phenomenal display of sinewy stand up' Chortle

Age guidance 16+ years.

Presented by Little Wander Ltd.

Courtyard Theatre
£16

Photo Credit: Matt Crockett

Jen's website

@JenBrister
@nordenfarm

•  16 Sep from £16

We've all had some pondering to do about the fragility of life recently, but don't worry, skinny national treasure Mark Watson has it covered.

At 41, he's halfway through his days on earth, according to the life expectancy calculator app he paid £1.49 for. That life is in the best shape in living memory... but one problem remains, and it really is a huge one.

Spiritual enquiry meets high-octane observational comedy as the 'Taskmaster' survivor, multi-award-winner and 'No More Jockeys' cult leader attempts to cram a couple of years of pathological overthinking into an evening of stand-up. Maybe we'll even solve the huge problem. Doubt it, though.

★★★★★ Telegraph

★★★★ Times | Independent | Metro | Time Out | Chortle

'Quite unlike anything else I’ve seen in almost 20 years of covering the Fringe... witty, warm, perfectly judged' ★★★★★ Telegraph

'This is a stand-up operating at the very top of his game' ★★★★ Independent

'He always displays an innate understanding of what the audience wants... creating a bespoke experience for every gig, an added flourish to a strong hour of stand-up' ★★★★ Chortle

'A quick-fire hour of fun' ★★★★ Metro

•  23 Sep from £20