10 great comedy shows to check out at the Edinburgh Fringe (…or right here in Oxford)
Every year millions make the pilgrimage up to Edinburgh to see the latest comedy shows from famous TV comedians and discover their new favorite rookie up-and-comers. While traveling up to Scotland in August to experience the festival is a great way to spend time, it’s also a great way to spend lots of money. Thankfully the Oxford Festival Fringe Preview Comedy Festival is back this year with some of the best of the fest right here in Oxford in July with over 50 different shows. So whether you're heading up north or having a staycation in town you don’t have to worry about missing out on all the laughter.
Richard Todd: Meanwhile... (Sunday 3 July @ 9pm, The White House)
Richard Todd brings his lyrical gift for the absurd to his new hour about making a Faustian pact with the train station's lost property attendant and finds himself up to his neck in it... hot bubbly water (and hot bubbly soul-sucking danger). Richard never fails at crafting strange new comedy premises out of the mundane so we are excited to see how he gets out of this one.
Lily Phillips: Smut (Wednesday 6 July @9pm, The Jam Factory)
Some might say a Wednesday night is an odd night for a show called Smut. But those people have never met Lily Phillips. In her debut hour, Lily wanted to write a nice show about feminism but ended up writing a bunch of jokes about her dog's vag. Wry and cutting with a delightfully dirty mind, Lily’s comedy has made her one to watch on the London circuit and not one to miss here.
Sam Lake: Cake (Saturday 9 July @ 9pm, The James Street Tavern)
A show two years in the making! In 2020, Sam wrote a show all about his upcoming wedding. Then both the wedding and show were swiftly cancelled. Based on his own personal love story, it’s a show about reassessing your goals when things don't go how you planned (but funny). Sam is a sweet young man and his clever writing and razor sharp timing make him a delight to spend an hour with.
William Stone: A Guide To Living Well Good (Monday 11 July @ 7:30, Tap Social Movement)
Attention chill seekers and care devils. We’re all looking for the key to a successful, happy life and William Stone’s got it, probably. William is the living embodiment of “still waters run deep”. His delivery may be dead-pan but the man is a dynamo of joke writing. (Double secret suggestion: right after William's show is another joke writing machine, Glenn Moore. We recommend checking out both for a veritable avalanche of perfect gags.)
Jayde Adams: Men, I Can Save You (Saturday 16 July @ 9:00pm, The James Street Tavern)
Change is always hard and what better person to lead the men selflessly by the hand into the new world than TV's Jayde Adams in her brand-new show. Jayde’s big personality always leads to big laughs in what promises to be a legendary show.
Michael Akadiri: No Scrubs (Friday 22 July @ 9:00pm, The James Street Tavern)
All comedy shows are planned but very few are fated! When born, there was a prophetess who envisioned that Michael would become a doctor. She was right (he's not seen her since). Fast forward 30 years, this young Londoner is now on the NHS frontlines dealing with the myriad of challenges of this poses. No Scrubs sees Michael traverse the daily challenges of life within the NHS, surviving life in London outside of it and how he ended up in court fighting for it.
Athena Kugblenu: Shaking Her Class (Sunday 24 July @ 9:00pm, The White House)
This one you actually can’t see in Edinburgh because Athena isn’t going to the Fringe this year. But fresh off her hit Radio 4 series, appearances on The Guilty Feminist and writing for the BBC, she has a brand new show to share with Oxford. See, Athena Kugblenu is middle class. Or is she? Watch her dissect her life and also tear apart pre-conceived ideas about race, class and identity. Whilst being very funny about it all.
Jacob Hawley: Bump (Thursday 28 July @ 7:30pm, The Jam Factory)
Working class hero Jacob Hawley had a baby last year but does that mean he’s an adult? Enjoy his existential crisis as he considers whether ample mental health is an exclusively middle-class pursuit, if he’s finally graduated from drugs to antipasti and, all considered, if he’s ready to be a father. As charming as he is hilarious, Jacob’s easy manor makes his show more like hanging out with your funniest mate rather than a comedy show (you do still need to buy tickets though).
Lara Ricote: GRL/LATNX/DEF (Friday 29 July @ 7:30pm, The James Street Tavern)
At the intersection of sex, race, immigration, ability, and comedy you’ll find Lara Ricote. A Latin American, deaf girl living in Europe who is, above all else, just really damn funny. Lara combines an unassuming wit, a delightful stage presence and her unique perspective to make what promises to be an incredible show.
Jen Ives: Peak Trans (Saturday 30 July @ 9:00pm, The James Street Tavern)
The Oxford Comedy Festival ends strong this year with Jen Ives (following Pierre Novellie at 7:30pm). As the discourse on trans people becomes more toxic in the UK – comedian, trans woman and nuisance Jen Ives is here to sort it all out. Is JK Rowling the devil? Can a man love a trans woman and still truly be straight? And how long can Jen get away with taking maternity leave from work? All these questions and more will be answered by one of the most exciting new voices on the circuit.
As you can see it’s an embarrassment of riches at this year’s Oxford Comedy Festival. These 10 shows are just the tip of the iceberg as the organizers curated over 40 more shows throughout the month. And at £8 per ticket (£14 if you want to see two show in a night) it’s a great way to have your own Edinburgh-at-home holiday on the cheap.