Comedian and Edinburgh Fringe regular Tom Little is back at the PBH Free Fringe this year with a new show Tom Little in His Comfort Zone.
“‘A properly talented comic. Unique is an appallingly overused word. But you know it when you see it. I see it in Tom Little’ **** (Scotsman). ‘Inventive, unexpected and often very silly… with material as strong as he has, he surely can’t remain a hidden treasure for long’ **** (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Catch him on his way to stardom’ (i Paper). ‘The real deal… Could end up in movies’ (Spectator). ‘His elevation to TV panel show favourite is surely only a matter of time’ **** (TheWeeReview.com). ‘Gut-wrenchingly funny’ (FringeReview.co.uk). ‘An unashamed crowd-pleaser’ (BeyondTheJoke.co.uk). ‘Hilarious’ (Mirror).
Where: carte blanche! at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms
When: 8-30 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tom-little-in-his-comfort-zone
What can you tell us about your show?
It’s yet another stand-up comedy show by a white guy called Tom. I’ve been doing stand-up at the Fringe for over a decade now, and I’ve won awards and stuff so I should be ok at it. I don’t ask the audience questions or improvise based on your suggestions or do magic tricks or sing songs or anything else. I just arrogantly stand there and tell you what I’ve been thinking about this year, in the arrogant belief people will find this funny. It’s usually worked so far. Usually.
What is it about and where did the idea come from?
My old shows were all a load of nonsense about biscuits and dolphins and stuff like that. This year I wanted to try and do something a bit more interesting. It’s ended up being about toxic masculinity and emotional repression and ‘why it’s good to talk about your feelings’ and all that sort of thing. Though the original idea just came from a silly thought I had while listening to “Runaround Sue” by Dion and the Belmonts, so I’m not really sure how it ended up being about all that.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
‘I’m an award-winning comedian. I won the same award that’s also been won by acts like Johnny Vegas, Romesh Ranganathan and Rhod Gilbert. I’ve got a bunch of good reviews, as you can see on the back of my flyer. My show is free entry, it’s just in here, and it’s starting in about 5 minutes.’ That’s what I say over and over when I’m flyering.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe?
Yes. I first came here in 2015, and I’ve performed at every Edinburgh Fringe since. As a stand-up comedian, I normally only perform for about 20 minutes a few times a week, but at the Fringe I get to do my own show for an hour every day. When you have the audience for that long, you can really get them on board with your point of view and laugh at things that maybe wouldn’t work in a shorter set. (One liners are over-rated. The best jokes take 50 minutes to tell.) And audiences tend to be more enthusiastic at the Fringe than anywhere else. I’ve done all sorts of gigs all over the UK, but my favourite shows to do are always my own shows at the Fringe. That’s why I keep coming back.
And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
Hahaha. Weirdly, no. I’ve done Edinburgh shows hundreds of times now, and I’ve just realised that they’ve all sort of blurred together. I couldn’t tell you a single unusual thing that’s happened. Ever. My mind’s gone blank. Generally, people seem to like my shows though. I promise.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
I should probably recommend someone else’s show here, so I’ll recommend Rachel Baker Presents: Gwen – This is Not a Pyramid Scheme. Rachel and Gwen are both very funny, and everybody should see this show.
What’s next for you?
Live performance is nice, and everything but the future of comedy is online, sadly. So after Edinburgh I suppose I’m going to spend all my energy on creating 8-second Instagram reels for people to scroll past while they look at their phones on the toilet. Until it’s time to do Edinburgh again. Then I’ll do that.