ARGComFest

“I catch a paper boy, but things don’t really change” David Bowie

“Capitalists posing as compassionates be offending me” Kendrick Lamar

An hour of new material from a 37 year old occasional tv host.

Olga Koch turned 30, got a master's degree, went on an adult gap year, got salmonella, lost herself, found herself and washed it all down with a delicious prawn cocktail. Think less Eat Pray Love and more Shake Scream Cry.

As seen on Mock the Week, QI, Late Night Mash, Frankie Boyle's New World Order and her Amazon Prime comedy special.

“A masterpiece” ★★★★★ BroadwayBaby
★★★★ Guardian
★★★★ Telegraph
★★★★★ Skinny
★★★★★ Sunday Post

Photo by Rachel Sherlock.

After dismantling a barge (Taskmaster), doxxing himself in the Doubletree (Off Menu), and blanking on the 1992 Ipswich Town crest (University Challenge), Ivo ropes his audience into more chaos against the clock. 'Humiliation's your thing, right?' His brother asked him at Christmas, and with the full existential ramifications of that still being processed, he's lining up a show with more risk than ever before (NB: previous shows have broadly been quite low risk). Expect quizzes, tangents and fluster. Best Show/Joke nominee 2019.

“Motormouthed finesse” ★★★★ Times
“I could watch him natter all day” Telegraph
★★★★ Guardian

Photo by Matt Stronge.

Soup: Comedian du jour, Alison Spittle is simmering with jokes and probably rage, she doesn't know what the burning sensation is. This silly goose has appeared on Off Menu, You're Dead To Me, Guilty Feminist, The Gargle and co-host of BBC Sounds Wheel of Misfortune podcast with Kerry Katona.

Tour support for Fern Brady and Maria Bamford.
Full sell-out Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022 and voted one of British Comedy Guide's best reviewed shows.

“An hour of near faultless material” ★★★★ Skinny
“Had the full house rolling in the aisles” ★★★★ Daily Express
“Just hilarious” ★★★★ BroadwayBaby

Photo by Karla Gowlett.

Jamali Maddix is working up a brand-new hour. Jamali is currently a series regular on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and has been seen on Taskmaster (Channel 4), Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC Two) and his critically acclaimed series Hate Thy Neighbour for Vice.

★★★★ Sunday Times
★★★★ Independent
★★★★ Chortle

Photo by Matt Crockett.

Janine thought she knew her family. Then she took a DNA test and things got messy.

Off the heels of her New York Times recommended show ‘Stand Up With Janine Harouni (Please Remain Seated)’ comes a new hour from the Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee. A work-in-progress exploring Janine’s Arab roots, pregnancy, and what happens when your DNA test does not go to plan.

Star of ITV2’s Buffering. Seen and heard on The Russell Howard Hour, The John Bishop Show, Comedians Giving Lectures, Question Team, The Stand Up Sketch Show and The Now Show. Over 80 million views online.

“Ready for her Netflix special” ★★★★★ Times
“A comedian clearly destined for bigger stages” ★★★★ Sunday Post
10 Comedians to Watch Guardian
10 Best Shows of 2019 Evening Standard
★★★★ Evening Standard
★★★★ Scotsman
★★★★ Telegraph
★★★★ Chortle

In 2020, the world changed forever, as Kieran Hodgson moved to Scotland. Now the three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee is taking the high road/West Coast mainline to ARG from his new home of Glasgow to tell you how it's working out. He's that guy from the BBC's Two Doors Down (he's Gordon), the Bad TV Impressions viral videos of The Crown and Happy Valley, and three Channel 4 specials.

★★★★★ Guardian
★★★★★ Telegraph
★★★★ Times
★★★★ Scotsman
★★★★ Time Out
★★★★ Sunday Times
★★★★ Independent
★★★★ Chortle
★★★★ Fest
★★★★ List

Photo by Kieran Hodgson.

To the hairdresser at [redacted] Salon: You can take my money. You can take my dignity. You can take too much off the ends. But you cannot take my right to talk about it every day on stage.

This is a show about the worst haircut of Ania Magliano's life.

Ania's critically-acclaimed 2022 debut sold out its entire run in a week. She’s supported Marc Maron, Cat Cohen and Ed Gamble, and writes for Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date.

“Will have you crying with laughter” ★★★★ Guardian
★★★★ Times
★★★★ Time Out
★★★★ iNews.co.uk

Photo by Rebecca Need-Menear.

With nearly 1,000 TikTok followers (at the time of going to print), be sure to book early to catch "the king of online" as he surfs cyberspace and reveals the World Wide Web's silliest internet videos.

★★★★ Guardian
★★★★ Times
★★★★½ Chortle
★★★★★ Independent
★★★★★ BeyondTheJoke.co.uk

Photo by Matt Crockett.

After 10 years of comedy, Thanyia was finally set to do her long awaited, anticipated debut hour at Edinburgh festival fringe. Everything was going to plan, until August came. A month that was forecasted to be bright and sunny, became dark and grey, and it took every bit of strength that Thanyia had, to make it through.

From running around Edinburgh, to hospital visits, all whilst being triggered by strangers who review you — Thanyia's month was not the 'norm'.

A show about mental strength, the female body and how awesome the NHS is in Scotland!

Photo by Chike.

Fresh from her Edinburgh Fringe sellout debut, Chloe Petts returns with her follow up hour. Everyone complimented her on how polite she was with big issues in the last show so now she’s cashing in those points and plans on being really rude. Expect routines on Greta Thunberg, the Queen and calling you all a bunch of virgins.

“A first show that was worth waiting for” Guardian

Photo by Matt Crockett.

An hour of developing new material from comedian Nabil Abdulrashid.

As seen on Live at the Apollo, The Stand-Up Sketch Show, and Britain’s Got Talent.

“Refreshingly radical fare, smartly woven into a gag-packed set... a fresh comic voice” Telegraph
“The star by a wide margin... animated by a sardonic intelligence and sharp eye for the absurdities of racial discourse” Guardian
★★★★ Evening Standard

Photo by Jiksaw.

As a child, all she wanted was to be an adult. Now she's at the table, she wants out. Following her acclaimed, sell-out debut hour, Celya returns: expect tales of romance, a hologram and a near-death experience in Thorpe Park.

“A superb contriver of pithy, memorable lines” ★★★★ Scotsman
“The UK's Parisian comedy star is making waves” Guardian
“A comic shooting to fame” ★★★★ List
“One of the most striking acts around, combining magnetic stage presence with punchy material” Evening Standard

Chortle Best Newcomer 2022. As seen on BBC, Comedy Central and Funny Festival Live.

Photo by Rachel Sherlock.

Back from doing her acclaimed debut hour, Sikisa is here with a new show and she is worried about words! She always thinks she says the wrong thing at the wrong time but asks the question – can you live in the modern world without speaking the language? A story of rediscovery and reflection.

As seen and heard on Live at the Apollo (BBC); Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2) and the Off Menu podcast. Three-time Leicester Comedy Festival Awards nominee and BBC New Comedy Award Finalist.

“She exudes a lively energy.” Chortle
“Uproariously hilarious.” Scotsman

Photo by Swiss Chocolate Pictures / Adrian Tauss.

New show about getting married, being middle of the road and trying to be more honest.

“You'll struggle to find a comedian with a better jokes per minute rate… like a one-man episode of Arrested Development” Fest

As seen in Prime series Grave New World, you might know him from his viral twitter thread about a woman moving dirty plates onto another woman's table, his impression of Michael Caine saying “never” in Batman or the time he phoned a number on the side of a horse.

Photo by Edward Moore.

Are you a little cheeky guy? Interested in the lifestyle? Come and join Freya as she navigates the struggles of trying to remain cheeky when it's raining trauma. From 50% of sketch duo Lazy Susan comes a 100% debut hour of stand-up. Hot topics to include death, bread and the joy of waving. It's hehehehe o'clock! As seen in the BBC Three Lazy Susan sketch show (“Outrageous and irreverent” ★★★★ (Guardian)), The Mash Report (BBC/Dave) and, in a twist no one saw coming, Jurassic World: Dominion. Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee.

Photo by Faye Thomas.

OFFIE Award winning “brilliant…natural comic” (Guardian) John Travulva critiques his best-known tick-box character: queer, non-binary, neurodiverse class-straddler Jodie Mitchell, who’s written on Sex Education and appeared on Comedy Central Live.

Photo by Captured by Corinne.

Heroes are boring. Draped in pearls and something uncomfortable from Zara, join Daniel Foxx as he tries out jokes for a show that will, eventually, be about embracing your inner baddie and having a little fun for goddamn once.

As seen on BBC One, BBC Three, Tour Support for Sofie Hagen, Josh Widdicombe and Judi Love, and on TikTok (’Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children’, ’The Supervillain’s Gay Assistant’).
Check out Daniel’s sketches on TikTok and Instagram!

“Funny and filthy” Graham Norton
“Natural magnetism”, “easy charisma” Steve Bennett, Chortle

Photo by Aemen Sukkar / Jiksaw.

Did Cerys cause their parents' divorce? Did they just make that interaction really awkward? Is a new year's resolution ever going to be enough to fix their personality? In this surreal and silly interactive stand-up show/birthday party, you get to decide. Cerys is a non-binary comedian and Autistic Excellence Award winner at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. As seen on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio Wales.

“Very funny... this is a must see” ★★★★★ NeurodiverseReview.co.uk
“Important as it is hilarious” TheNational.wales

Directed by Elf Lyons.

Photo by Ian Bowkett.

Working-class comedian Tom Mayhew returns to the Fringe with a show about dreams and endless hope. But it's mainly jokes about how weird and annoying capitalism is. As heard on The Alexei Sayle Podcast.

“Passionate, articulate and hilarious.” ★★★★ Skinny
“Mayhew is a voice that needs to be heard” ★★★★ Chortle
“Comedy shining a light on some grim, unjust places” ★★★★ Scotsman
“This is political comedy from a fresh and necessary perspective” ★★★★ TheWeeReview
“Tory-hating leftie” ★★★★ Daily Mail
“The acceptable face of class war” Mark Watson

Photo by Andy Hollingworth.

Priya Hall is obsessed with her nan to an unhealthy degree. Her debut show Grandmother’s Daughter is a joyful tribute to one old Welsh lady and the impossible standards Priya has to live up to as she prepares to become a matriarch of her own family. Packed with a level of oversharing that borders on the unhinged, this show promises a healthy dose of queer joy, storytelling and more jokes about sperm than Priya intended.

As seen on BBC One, BBC Three, Comedy Central, BBC Radio 4 and more.

Photo by Rachel Sherlock.

In her debut solo show, failed child actor and now successful comedian Lulu Popplewell explores the links between Love Actually, smoking crack, the Daily Mail and sunburn.

Is love actually all around? Why is addiction more relatable than recovery? Which drug would Mr Bean be most likely to take?

None of these questions satisfactorily answered and more!* A daft, rude and thoughtful hour of jokes, actually.

*One song.

Photo by Edward Moore.

Welsh, Brown, Gay, Gen-Z comedian Leila Navabi, (BBC New Comedy Awards) is bringing you a show about how unethical it is to artistically exploit marginalised identities for social gain. They’re ‘the actual future of comedy’ (LMAOnaise) and they have eczema.

Following a year that saw her performing at the BBC New Comedy Awards 2022 and writing on projects including Bad Education (BBC Three), Deep Fake Neighbour Wars (ITV) and Never Mind The Buzzcocks (Sky); ‘Composition’ is a work in progress performance of Leila’s hotly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut.

Photo by Collective 14 Imagery.