Following two sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Dave’s Joke Of The Fringe winner Ken Cheng is hitting the road in 2019 on his debut UK tour. As one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents on the UK circuit, Ken will be travelling the UK with his critically acclaimed show Best Dad Ever – one ofThe Guardian's Best Shows of the Edinburgh Festival 2018.
Born to Chinese immigrants in the UK, Ken never had the most normal upbringing. Best Dad Ever is a tale of his unique childhood, exploring his obsession with toy lambs and his complicated relationship with his parents - aided again by his trusty PowerPoint presentation.
Kicking off with two nights at London’s VAULT Festival on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th January, Best Dad Ever will tour until May 2019. Tickets are on general sale from 9am on Friday 16th November from www.kencheng.co.uk/tour-dates. Please find full dates and listings information below.
Before unearthing his comedic talent, Ken followed an interesting career path. Whilst studying for a maths degree at Cambridge University Ken found a passion for poker. On realising his potential as a professional poker player, he dropped out of Cambridge to pursue this full-time for nine years before setting his sights on the comedy stage.
Ken has had a very exciting three years since he first burst on to the comedy scene in 2015 when he reached the final of the BBC New Comedy Award. In 2017, he made his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his show Chinese Comedian, which sold out it’s run at The Pleasance and garnered much critical acclaim. He then went on to perform sold out runs at London’s Vaults Festival and The British Library in March 2018 with the same show.
Following the success of his 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe run where Best Dad Ever was nominated for the Amused Moose Best Show Award, Ken performed the show to a sold audience at London’s Southbank Centre in October 2018.
The last 12 months has been particularly thrilling for Ken with numerous TV and radio opportunities under his belt. Ken has hosted his very own four-part series on BBC Radio 4 - Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian. The first episode aired on Wednesday 3rd October and is available now on BBC iPlayer. He is also hosting a further BBC Radio 4 special Game Over, Humans, which will air on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day this year and will be appearing on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show in November.
On the small screen, Ken has recently been announced as host of brand new 10-episide gameshow seriesHangover Games on E4, alongside fellow comedian Matt Richardson. He will also be appearing on ITV2’s brand new comedy show The Stand Up Sketch Show. Both of these new series are due to air in early 2019.
Ken will also be taking part in Dave’s Advent Calendar where 24 comedians create short festive films for the channel. The two-minute clips will be broadcast at 9pm daily, concluding on Christmas Eve 2018.
Other TV and Radio appearances include: Comedy Central At The Comedy Store on Comedy Central, BBC Three Top Ten short titled Proverbs Ken Cheng Hates, BBC Two's Celebrity Eggheads and Liam Williams' BBC Radio 4 show Ladhood. Ken was also selected as one of Comedy Central’s Ones To Watch and for the BBC’s New Talent Hotlist in 2017.
Alongside his TV and Radio work, Ken has a rapidly increasing online audience, especially on Twitter. This follows a viral Twitter thread where he disrespected the flag of every country which gained world-wide attention and news coverage.
** Photographer: Steve Ullathorne
