Scottish comedy venue Blackfriars of Bell Street has joined forces with promoter Brass Tacks Comedy to offer a funded Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut for Scottish comedian Jack Traynor. 

Blackfriars and Brass Tacks Comedy will bring the Cumbernauld comedian to Fringe 2025, with Jack set to perform at the Pleasance Courtyard. Jack’s upfront costs for his debut will be paid for by the Blackfriars fund, covering registration fees, marketing spend, venue costs, technicians and more. Jack’s debut show ‘Before I Forget’ will run from 30th July - 24th August, 9.55pm at Pleasance Bunker One with tickets on sale from 2nd April via www.pleasance.co.uk. 

Blackfriars Basement has featured comedians including Billy Connolly, Kevin Bridges and Susie McCabe over the past 30 years. Relaunching three years ago with new initiatives including zero hall hire fee and 100% of ticket sales going to comedians, Blackfriars of Bell Street will now venture into their first Edinburgh Fringe as they support Jack Traynor’s debut. 

Owner Chris Conway made the decision to provide funding for Jack’s debut after helping to judge over 50 applicants for Brass Tacks’ original Fringe fund, which is supported by Red Bull. The team at Blackfriars felt strongly about giving a Glasgow-based comic the chance, and chose Jack Traynor as this year’s recipient. Blackfriars have hosted Jack at various gigs including the weekly Comedy Pub Quiz alongside Paddy Linton, which took over BAAD as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival for their biggest quiz yet. 

Jack Traynor hails from Cumbernauld and has been making a name for himself since 2022 as part of the Wholesome Prison Blues collective which brings comedy shows into prisons. His performances have gone global, with Jack ranked 4th in the Roast Battle leagues and this year will perform in LA as part of a Roast Battle show, thanks to Blackfriars sponsorship. 

Chris Conway, Owner of Blackfriars of Bell Street said, “When Brass Tacks Comedy approached me to help judge applications for Red Bull’s fund, I knew after speaking with them that we wanted to get more involved than just judging.

“I made the decision to provide funding to enable Katie to offer another act this amazing opportunity. We are delighted to be involved and thrilled to have Jack Traynor as the act chosen. Jack is a tremendous comedian who has been a regular feature on the Blackfriars Basement stage and we know he will have a hugely successful Fringe.”

Katie Palmer, Brass Tacks Comedy said, “As a comedy fan I love Blackfriars Comedy Club, and as a promoter, their 100% ticket sales model is brilliant, so to be partnering with them on this project is a dream. I asked Chris to be part of the judging panel for the Red Bull Funded Fringe, and he agreed the standard of applicants was so high that the decision was impossible. Within the hour he had pulled some strings and we were partnering to support Jack.

“Jack Traynor is one of my favourite comics in the country. He had previously mentioned that performing his own show at the Fringe wasn’t in his future plans because he was completely priced out. Without the support of Blackfriars, we could have lost an incredible young talent in Scottish comedy, so I’m delighted to be part of the team providing Jack with this platform and can’t wait to see what he will do.”

Brass Tacks Comedy, run by Edinburgh local Katie Palmer, spearheaded the funded Fringe idea after speaking to comics in the Scottish industry who felt the Festival was not a viable option for them to take part in, due to exorbitant costs. 

Katie worked with Red Bull UK to invite applications to win a funded debut, with Blackfriars staff invited to help judge applications. Now, two Scottish comedians will receive funded Fringe debuts courtesy of Red Bull UK and Blackfriars of Bell Street - with Red Bull’s comedian set to be announced in the coming weeks. 

The fund will allow Jack Traynor to bring his debut to audiences from around the world supported by a team of comedy professionals from producers, technicians, PRs, programmers and more.

Picture by Trudy Stade