Latest news with #MonkeyBarrel
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Jamie D'Souza mixes data, disorder, and dark humour in new Fringe show
Comedian and full-time data analyst Jamie D'Souza is returning to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his second solo hour – a deeply personal, darkly funny and sharply written show that reflects on identity, eating disorders, and chaotic shared living. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Drawing on his mixed Indian-Swiss heritage, D'Souza explores race, masculinity and marriage through the lens of a self-deprecating millennial who's still working out how to balance ambition with anxiety. Along the way, he tackles bulimia, his data day job, and the peculiar experience of living with a flatmate who hosts anonymous hookups via Grindr. Despite the heavy subject matter, D'Souza keeps the audience onside with his relaxed charm, quick wit and well-crafted punchlines. It's a blend of personal storytelling and razor-sharp observational comedy that has earned him spots on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week, and The Stand-Up Sketch Show, as well as tour support slots for Simon Amstell, Nish Kumar and Helen Bauer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As a former finalist in So You Think You're Funny and a nominee for the BBC New Comedy Award, D'Souza has carved out a niche as one of the scene's most promising voices. Whether he's recounting how he accidentally gave his dog MDMA or performing statistical analyses on WhatsApp group chats, D'Souza combines geeky precision with huge warmth. (c) IAN BOWKETT He may still have a full-time job, but Brownie proves that comedy is where he's truly putting in the work. Jamie D'Souza: Brownie runs from 29 July to 24 August at Monkey Barrel – Cabaret Voltaire 2, with performances nightly at 10pm.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Lily Philips: Crying
Rising comedy star Lily Phillips brings her brand-new, hilarious and unapologetically honest show, "Crying," to the Monkey Barrel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. Crying sees her delving into the taboo truths of childbirth, IVF, early motherhood, and navigating mental health, delivered with her signature sharp wit and feminist bite. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In "Crying," Lily shares her unfiltered journey from a traumatic four-day labour - complete with ventouse, forceps, and a doctor triumphantly winning a "tug-of-war" with her vagina - to confronting the injustices of IVF treatments, sleep deprivation, and the isolating silences around post-natal depression. She questions the glossy lies sold by Instagram's maternity algorithms and boldly calls out society's unrealistic expectations of new motherhood. "It feels like if you say anything negative about having a baby, you're labelled mentally ill," says Lily. "But maybe you're just having a normal reaction to a horrific event. We're all lying about birth and early motherhood, and it can feel so isolating. Strap in, here's the uncensored version." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An exciting voice in UK comedy, Lily was Runner Up at Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year 2019, Funny Women Finalist 2018, and part of the acclaimed Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019. She reached the BBC New Comedy Awards grand final in 2021, further cementing her place as a must-watch comedian. Lily Philips On TV, Lily has become a series regular on ITV2's "The Stand Up Sketch Show" and starred in E4 Digital's hidden camera show as a fake podcast host. Other credits include BBC3's "Period Dramas," All4's "The Joy Of Missing Out," and various Comedy Central Online shorts. Also a gifted writer, Lily was shortlisted from over 1,000 entries in Funny Women's Writer's Award 2021, sponsored by Sky Studios. Her debut hour "SMUT" premiered at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe to rave reviews. Monkey Barrel - MB2: 30th July - 12th August:1.30pm.
Scotsman
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh Fringe Hot Tickets 2025: Here are all 17 Edinburgh Comedy Award winners returning this year
With a over 3,300 shows to choose from across 265 venues at this year's feast of culture, there's something to be said for opting for performers who have a winning record – and there's no bigger prize in British comedy than the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Launched in 1981, the award is presented to the comedy show judged to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is recognised as the most prestigious comedy prize in the UK. Formerly known as the Perrier Award , it is designed to promote acts that have yet to become household names, so comedians judged to have 'star status' are not eligible - for instance if they have a show on a major television channel or can regularly fill a 500-set venue. The first winners were a talent-packed Cambridge Footlights featuring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson, while other names catapulted to fame by the award over the years include Steve Coogan, Jenny Eclair, The League of Gentlemen, Dylan Moran, Al Murray, Tim Key, and Emmy -winning Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd . A Best Newcomer Award was added in 1992, followed by a Panel Prize in 2006 - for those who have made a particularly special contribution to the Fringe Festival. Here are all 17 winners you can see in Edinburgh this year. 1 . Urooj Ashfaq Urooj Ashfaq won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for best Newcomer in 2023 for her show 'Oh No!', about "her, her family, things that annoy her, and things she loves". This year she's back with a new hour entitled 'How To Be A Baddie' in which she promises to be a "bona fide bad girl and edgelord who at times mentions sexy things and topics..." She's on at the Monkey Barrel from July 30-August 24. | Getty Images Photo Sales 2 . Jordan Brookes Officially the longest-reigning Edinburgh Comedy Award winner of all time (he won in 2019 before the global pandemic led to a three year break before the prize was awarded again), Jordan Brookes is back in Edinburgh with a work in progress show called 'Until The Wheels Come Off'. The only thing he guarantees is that he'll show up! See him at the Pleasance Courtyard from July 30-August 24. | Getty Images Photo Sales 3 . Lara Ricote Another former winner bringing a work in progress show to Edinburgh is Lara Ricote, who took home the Best Newcomer trophy in 2022 with her show 'GRL/LATNX/DEF'. She didn't even have an idea for a show when she had to submit a description for the Fringe programme, so we know nothing about it. Find out what she's up to at the Monkey Barrel from August 11-17. | Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . Adam Riches The Edinburgh Comedy Award shortlist was particularly strong in 2011, including Andrew Maxwell, Chris Ramsey, Josie Long, Nick Helm and future winner Sam Simmon. But it was the character and sketch comedy of Adam Riches, in 'Bring Me the Head of Adam Riches' that most impressed the judges. The hugely-entertaining performer last year made the switch to the theatre section with a critically-acclaimed show about tennis player Jimmy Connors. This year he's back to comedy with a typically singular slant, namely "medieval heartstab Sean Bean is going to read 15th century Middle English tome Le Morte d'Arthur out loud, for an hour. That's it." Discover if that really is 'it' at the Monkey Barrel from August 11-13. | Getty Images Photo Sales
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
What to see at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025: Here are all 17 Edinburgh Comedy Award winners returning this year
With a over 3,300 shows to choose from across 265 venues at this year's feast of culture, there's something to be said for opting for performers who have a winning record – and there's no bigger prize in British comedy than the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Launched in 1981, the award is presented to the comedy show judged to have been the best at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is recognised as the most prestigious comedy prize in the UK. Formerly known as the Perrier Award , it is designed to promote acts that have yet to become household names, so comedians judged to have 'star status' are not eligible - for instance if they have a show on a major television channel or can regularly fill a 500-set venue. The first winners were a talent-packed Cambridge Footlights featuring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Slattery and Emma Thompson, while other names catapulted to fame by the award over the years include Steve Coogan, Jenny Eclair, The League of Gentlemen, Dylan Moran, Al Murray, Tim Key, and Emmy -winning Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd . A Best Newcomer Award was added in 1992, followed by a Panel Prize in 2006 - for those who have made a particularly special contribution to the Fringe Festival. Here are all 17 winners you can see in Edinburgh this year. 1 . Urooj Ashfaq Urooj Ashfaq won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for best Newcomer in 2023 for her show 'Oh No!', about "her, her family, things that annoy her, and things she loves". This year she's back with a new hour entitled 'How To Be A Baddie' in which she promises to be a "bona fide bad girl and edgelord who at times mentions sexy things and topics..." She's on at the Monkey Barrel from July 30-August 24. | Getty Images Photo Sales 2 . Jordan Brookes Officially the longest-reigning Edinburgh Comedy Award winner of all time (he won in 2019 before the global pandemic led to a three year break before the prize was awarded again), Jordan Brookes is back in Edinburgh with a work in progress show called 'Until The Wheels Come Off'. The only thing he guarantees is that he'll show up! See him at the Pleasance Courtyard from July 30-August 24. | Getty Images Photo Sales 3 . Lara Ricote Another former winner bringing a work in progress show to Edinburgh is Lara Ricote, who took home the Best Newcomer trophy in 2022 with her show 'GRL/LATNX/DEF'. She didn't even have an idea for a show when she had to submit a description for the Fringe programme, so we know nothing about it. Find out what she's up to at the Monkey Barrel from August 11-17. | Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . Adam Riches The Edinburgh Comedy Award shortlist was particularly strong in 2011, including Andrew Maxwell, Chris Ramsey, Josie Long, Nick Helm and future winner Sam Simmon. But it was the character and sketch comedy of Adam Riches, in 'Bring Me the Head of Adam Riches' that most impressed the judges. The hugely-entertaining performer last year made the switch to the theatre section with a critically-acclaimed show about tennis player Jimmy Connors. This year he's back to comedy with a typically singular slant, namely "medieval heartstab Sean Bean is going to read 15th century Middle English tome Le Morte d'Arthur out loud, for an hour. That's it." Discover if that really is 'it' at the Monkey Barrel from August 11-13. | Getty Images Photo Sales
The National
21-04-2025
- Business
- The National
Kevin Bridges rips into UK response to Donald Trump tariffs
The US president imposed heavy tariffs on countries worldwide in a speech at the White House on April 2. The 10% tax facing UK goods is half that facing the EU, with Downing Street suggesting they had been vindicated in their approach to negotiating with the US. But it still broadly mirrors a big list of other countries also on the 10% rate. READ MORE: 'Pretty bad look': Anas Sarwar household receive £300k via family firm dividends But Bridges, in a stand up routine at Monkey Barrel comedy club in Edinburgh, certainly wasn't impressed. 'Britain looked pretty pathetic the last week or so,' the Scottish comedian said before putting on an English accent. He added (below): 'Oh, it's only 10%. Thank you, Mr. Trump.' Bridges then went on: 'Fucking embarrassing, wasn't it? Like a fucking beaten partner. As of, what is it. The other day it said that Trump has already backtracked. Obviously, obviously he was going to backtrack. It's just like, what? An old guy having a fucking tantrum, innit?' Trump has since announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves due to hold talks with the White House next week amid efforts to strike a trade deal, which Britain hopes can help soften the brunt. He added to laughs from the crowd: 'It's like when you've seen your dad go mental too many times, you've just lost interest. 'Well, maybe your mum was a bit scared. I hate when he gets like this. That's Britain.' He said with an accent: 'No, please don't retaliate. Don't retaliate.' Bridges then added: But China, China was like the older sibling. Just fucking standing up to him.I mean, that's what I expect. '44%? I will fucking go 54%. And America was rattled. We'll go 74, and then we're fucking 84%, 104%. China's going, seriously? You want to take us on at numbers?'
