Avalon have announced their promoted line-up of artists who are performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, presenting the latest shows from critically acclaimed acts including Edinburgh Comedy Award winner and Starstruck creator Rose Matafeo and multi-award-winning musical comedy duo Flo & Joan. The line-up also sees returning performances from Fringe favourites, including rising star and star of Netflix’s Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda Chloe Petts, critically acclaimed comedian Garrett Millerick, comedian, writer and podcaster Pierre Novellie, award-winning stand-up and podcaster Rob Auton, and star and co-creator of ITV2’s Buffering Steve Bugeja. This year’s festival will additionally see eagerly awaited hours from co-writer and one of the stars of Starstruck Nic Sampson, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and host of the cult-hit podcast, They Like to Watch Sara Barron and award-winning comedian and smash-hit online star Stevie Martin. Fringe go-ers will also have a chance to watch a trio of highly anticipated debut hours from 2023 BBC New Comedy Award winner Joe Kent-Walters, 2023 Musical Comedy Award winner Katie Norris and New York comedian and star of critically acclaimed comedy Everything’s Gonna Be Okay Maeve Press.
During the last 34 years, Avalon have worked with more Edinburgh Comedy Award winners and nominees than any other company including: Chris Addison, Greg Davies, Dave Gorman, Frank Skinner, Harry Hill, The Mighty Boosh, Al Murray, Russell Kane, Alex Horne, Roisin Conaty, Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler, Garth Marenghi, Lucy Beaumont, John Kearns, Bilal Zafar, Glenn Moore, Ciarán Dowd, Sara Barron, Sophie Duker, Huge Davies, Lauren Pattison, Phil Ellis, Ania Magliano and 2023’s winner Ahir Shah, as well as three of only six female winners of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award; Jenny Eclair, Laura Solon, and 2018’s winner Rose Matafeo.
Avalon’s promoted line-up for 2024 includes:
Chloe Petts – How You See Me, How You Don’t
Flo & Joan – The Joan & Flo Show
Flo & Joan – One-Man Musical by Flo & Joan
Garrett Millerick – Garrett Millerick Needs More Space
Joe Kent-Walters – is Frankie Monroe LIVE!!!
Katie Norris – Farm Fatale
Maeve Press – Failure Confetti
Nic Sampson – Yellow Power Ranger
Pierre Novellie – Must We?
Rob Auton – The Eyes Open and Shut Show
Rose Matafeo – On and On and On
Sara Barron – Anything For You
Steve Bugeja – Shiny
Stevie Martin – clout
How You See Me, How You Don't
“clearly a rising star whose name will soon be in lights.” ★★★★
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
After two consecutive smash-hit, sell-out Fringe runs, rising star Chloe Petts returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with a brand-new show… and this time she’s getting personal. Between her newly found trolls, oldly found school bullies, and an excellent relationship with her food tech teacher, Chloe brings her trademark laddishness to tell you who she really is, all whilst her Head Girl badge glistens upon her chest. Co-founder of The LOL Word, an all women and non-binary queer comedy collective “transforming comedy” (The Guardian), this year Chloe starred in Hannah Gadsby's Gender Agenda (Netflix), a multi-comic special featuring seven global genderqueer comics, alongside landing her debut BBC Radio 4 show, Toilet Humour, a five-part series about the history of the loo. Previously, Chloe has had her own regular segment on Sky Sports News where she would irreverently round up the week in football and has also appeared on MOTDx (BBC Three), The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio), The Stand-Up Sketch Show (ITV2), Richard Osman's House of Games (BBC Two), as well as winning Pointless Celebrities (BBC One). “one of our most compelling young comics” ★★★★(Brian Logan, The Guardian). “hilarious… She’ll go far.” ★★★★ (Dominic Maxwell, The Times).
The Joan & Flo Show
“these intricately crafted, flawlessly performed numbers will have you howling with laughter one minute, wiping away a tear the next” ★★★★
Rupert Hawksley, The Telegraph
Well, it looks like it’s time to get your ears syringed because acclaimed musical comedy duo Flo & Joan are taking to the stage in a celebration of their unique comedy stylings. Their highly anticipated return to this year’s Edinburgh Festival sees them fill a percentage of your time with some quote unquote ‘music’ and/or ‘comedy’ with old songs, new songs, nothing borrowed, and their vocal coach is Duncan from Blue. Their numerous on-screen credits includes their comedy special 'Alive on Stage' (Amazon), Comic Relief (BBC One), Live at the Apollo (BBC Two), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV1), and The Russell Howard Hour (Sky). “Goes down a storm” ★★★★ (The Times). ★★★★ (The Telegraph) ★★★★, (The Guardian).
One Man Musical by Flo & Joan
Critically acclaimed musical comedy duo Flo & Joan also present their very own original and never before witnessed one-man musical about a renowned gentleman who you will know and recognise. Fans of maths and gender will notice some discrepancies here. Featuring a star cast of one (man) supported by a full band (two musical comedians hiding in the wings), together they are set to give Fringe audiences a chance to see a maestro at work for the full festival run. The award winning duo have previously written and performed songs for Live at the Apollo (BBC Two), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV1), Warner Bros, Aardman and Horrible Histories (CBBC).
Garrett Millerick Needs More Space
“a masterclass" ★★★★
Mark Mohan, The Telegraph
Garrett Millerick has spent four consecutive years being recommended as one of the top comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and recently performed stand-up on legendary US late night show Conan. Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, sees comedy’s ‘angriest optimist’ return for a hilarious, honest, and mostly historically accurate, exploration of space travel. In his tenth hour, Garrett examines his totally insignificant place in the universe and how little he actually knows about anything. Named as one of the best reviewed shows at the Fringe 2023, Garrett’s breakout live show Sunflower was also one most talked about shows of 2018 and saw him nominated for Breakthrough Act at the 2019 Chortle Awards. Following up the show with Smile and Just Trying to Help, which was nominated for Best Show at the 2022 Leicester Comedy Festival, all three critically-acclaimed shows were recorded and released internationally. Elsewhere on radio, Garrett has appeared on BBC Radio 4, Have a Word and Sirius XM. “has the room erupting with laughter. Cathartic. Clever. Funny.” ★★★★ (Kate Copstick, The Scotsman). “wonderfully funny” ★★★★ (Dominic Maxwell, The Times).
Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe LIVE!!!
“once seen, never forgotten, physically commands the stage and beyond… barnstorming nonsense.”
Jay Richardson, Chortle
For the full month long run of the festival, Joe Kent-Walters ‘is Frankie Monroe LIVE!!!’, making his much awaited Fringe debut. Joe has been delighting audiences across the country with his comic creation Frankie Monroe - the owner and MC of The Misty Moon (a working men’s club in Rotherham that is also a portal to hell). Winner of Best Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards 2024, the BBC New Comedy Award 2023 and a past winner of the 2021 Chortle Student Comedy Award, Joe will be presenting a debut hour of laughs, tricks and mucky bitter. “echoes of The League of Gentleman and Reeves and Mortimer.” (Jay Richardson, The Scotsman)
Farm Fatale
“Her comic timing is as exquisite as her voice”
Sharon Lougher, Chortle
This Fringe will see Katie Norris make her highly anticipated solo debut with ‘Farm Fatale’ - she’s an agricultural icon likely to cause delight or distress to anyone who becomes involved with her or her livestock. The stand-up, actress and singer was a semi-finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023 and won at the Musical Comedy Awards 2023. She has been compared to Phoebe Waller-Bridge (The Telegraph) and heard on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show, Newsjack and DMs are Now Open, as well as seen on Doctors (BBC One). As part of the critically acclaimed double act, Norris & Parker, Katie has been featured in the Guardian’s top 10 best comedy shows and had sold out runs, most recently with ‘Burn The Witch’. “Fine, funny writing and skilful comic performance” ★★★★ (Brian Logan, The Guardian), “bloody funny… terrific to watch” ★★★★ (Paul Fleckney, Chortle).
Failure Confetti
“absolutely shines with brilliance beyond her years”
Shannon Miller, AV Club
Maeve Press crosses the pond for her UK debut at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with ‘Failure Confetti’. Maeve spent 17 years under special education observation. When she turned 18, her parents gave her boxes filled with written reports highlighting everything wrong with her. Today, she unboxes them with us. The comedian, actress and writer from New York City was the youngest comedian ever to perform at Boston’s Women in Comedy Festival and made her Off-Broadway debut at the iconic Public Theatre in the critically acclaimed play Before Your Very Eyes. She has also starred in Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform / Hulu), the award winning indie film Theresa Is a Mother and Too Many Buddhas which co-starred Maria Bamford. “Has a sensitive heart encased in an armor of spiky sarcasm” (James Poniewozik, The New York Times).
Yellow Power Ranger
“Sampson has an easy-going warmth and inventive comic touch that can’t help but charm” ★★★★
Alan Chadwick, Daily Mail
Co-writer and one of the stars of Starstruck (BBC Three / HBO Max), Nic Sampson returns to Edinburgh with his brand new show, ‘Yellow Power Ranger’. This is set to be Nic’s second solo hour at the festival and he discusses a time when he played a Power Ranger in the global TV kids phenomenon – a dream come true to his 18 year old self. In this show, Nic wants to delve a bit deeper and ask the very important questions: ‘what happens when you’ve arguably reached your peak when you’re a teenager?’ and ‘is there a retirement home for ex-Power Rangers?’. As well as his work on Starstruck, Nic has also written on the International Emmy award winning short series Inside, the New Zealand sketch series Funny Girls and the topical comedy show Jono and Ben. “Likeable New Zealand comic” ★★★★ (Tristram Fane Saunders, The Telegraph), “a thoroughly winning guide” ★★★★ (Steve Bennett, Chortle)
Must We?
“Brilliantly unconventional... pulls huge big laughs" ★★★★★
Claire Smith, The Scotsman
Critically acclaimed comedian Pierre Novellie brings his brand new show, ‘Must We?’, to the festival this year. Fresh off the back of a sold out run at the Fringe last year which received rave reviews, Pierre will now take the train back up to Edinburgh to perform a new stand up show about life, fairness and expectations. He simply must. Pierre can be heard alongside Frank Skinner as co-host of The Frank Skinner Show (Absolute Radio) and BudPod with Phil Wang as well as The Now Show (BBC Radio 4). “He’s one of the best we’ve got” ★★★★ (Tim Harding, Chortle), “Hilarious… he will go far” ★★★★ (Dominic Maxwell, The Times), “Novellie is every inch the assured, smart-jacketed storyteller” ★★★★ (Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard).
The Eyes Open and Shut Show
“You'll laugh a lot, you'll smile a lot and, mark my words, you'll want to see him again.” ★★★★★
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke
Following his latest sell-out Fringe run and biggest national tour to date, this year award-winning comedian and podcaster Rob Auton (Starstruck, The End of the F***ing World, Stand-Up Central With Rob Delaney, The Russell Howard Hour) brings his 11th hour to the Edinburgh Fringe. After writing ten hit Fringe shows on specific themes that have earnt him a cult Fringe following, this is a show about eyes when they are open and eyes when they are shut. Exploring what he could do to himself and others with language when eyes are open and shut, Rob thinks about what makes him open his eyes and what makes him shut them. Earlier this year Rob relaunched his one-year daily and critically-acclaimed podcast that “makes you see the world differently” (Miranda Sawyer, The Observer), The Rob Auton Daily Podcast, which also won Best Daily Podcast at the British Podcast Awards, for another year’s worth of episodes. “Like a sunbeam from heaven in human form, Auton is a constant delight.” ★★★★ (Mark Wareham, The Mail On Sunday). “beautifully crafted; just like Auton’s comedy” ★★★★ (Isobel Lewis, The Independent).
On and On and On
“Matafeo is one of the most interesting and talented figures in comedy at the moment"
Sarah Carson, The i
Creator, writer, director and star of international hit romcom Starstruck, host of Channel 4’s brand-new Junior Taskmaster, and Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Rose Matafeo returns to the Fringe with new hour of stand-up where she asks all the big questions, namely, Do you ever feel like you're meeting yourself again and again in a bad way? Described by The Evening Standard as “endlessly watchable, her timing and delivery pure alchemy” (★★★★★) and her work as having “characteristic cheeky charm, messiness and wit” The Telegraph (★★★★) which have also seen her earn BAFTA and Royal Television Society Award nominations.
Anything For You
“Deliciously dark, brutally honest and unapologetically filthy… a master-class” ★★★★★
Gayle Anderson, The Herald
EdinburghComedy Award nominee and host of the cult-hit podcast, They Like to Watch, Sara Barron has a new show that's fierce, savage and other adjectives from RuPaul's Drag Race. The clock is ticking, and the questions aren't cute anymore: is it your fault you're so angry? How old is too old to blame your mum? Why are you meaner to her, than to anyone else? And why is she so angry?! Oh. A regular on television, Sara's credits include Live at the Apollo (BBC Two), Would I Lie to You? (BBC One), and Richard Osman's House of Games (BBC Two). She is co-creator of the hit podcast FireCrotch and Normcore: They Like to Watch, which won a Silver Award at the 2023 British Podcasting Awards. Featured guests on the podcast include Daisy May Cooper, Russell T. Davies, Self-Esteem, Jesse Armstrong, and Charlie Brooker. Sara has appeared on The News Quiz, The Now Show, and Woman’s Hour (BBC Raio 4), and has published two essay collections with Random House, People Are Unappealing and The Harm in Asking. “Rendered gut-achingly speechless” ★★★★★ (Dave Esson, The Daily Express). “Beautifully crafted, no-nonsense stand-up… Highly recommended” ★★★★(Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times).
Shiny
“Bugeja has an eye for original comic detail that’s all his own”
James Kettle, The Guardian
Star and co-creator of ITV2’s Buffering, Steve Bugeja, brings a brand-new and seventh hour to the Edinburgh Fringe. There’s lots of advice from ‘experts’ on how to achieve your dreams. When Steve wrote and starred in his own sitcom, he achieved his dream, and in his latest show, he invites you to come find out whether it was worth it… or not. A winner of the prestigious BBC New Comedy Award, Steve has become a familiar face on tv and radio, having previously hosted the BBC Radio 4 series Economics with Subtitles and appearing on The Russell Howard Hour (Sky One), Love Island: Aftersun (ITV), Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central) and Zoe Ball on Saturday (ITV). Steve was also the head writer for Iain Stirling’s CelebAbility (ITV2) which ran for seven series and was a key member of the writing team for The Russell Howard Hour (Sky One). “punchlines come thick and fast… he makes the art of stand-up comedy look effortless” ★★★★ (Calum Baxter, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine). “hilarious throughout” ★★★★ (Ross Crae, The Sunday Post).
clout
“funny AF”
Ben Williams, Time Out
Award-winning comedian Stevie Martin (8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Guessable, Starstruck, The Mash Report) has been doing online comedy for a while (45 million views worldwide) but is now returning to the Edinburgh Fringe with her new and highly anticipated third hour, clout. It's like her online stuff but she'll be on a stage and you can't pause her to get a snack (meats?). Also, you have to sit in a specific room to watch it (please don’t bring your meats to this room). Stevie first debuted as a solo artist in 2018, after being a third of much lauded sketch group Massive Dad. During the pandemic, Stevie immediately pivoted to online, gaining millions of views for her sketches across Twitter, Instagram and TikTok as well as hosting a weekly comedy show on Twitch. Her prolific online output won her a Chortle Award in 2021. Alongside two hit podcasts (Nobody Panic with Tessa Coates and Might Delete Later with Gina Martin), Stevie is the host of the BBC Radio 4’s open-door sketch show DMs Are Open. “hugely fun… this show is exceptional” ★★★★ (Becca Moody, Fest). “In complete command of the audience… tremendous” ★★★★ (Robert McMillian, Edinburgh Festivals Magazine).
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