Local Tour Dates
SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall
Wednesday 25th March 2020
SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall
02380 632601
Wednesday 25th March 2020
SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall
02380 632601
Following his biggest ever tour last year and yet another sell-out Fringe run in August, one of the UK’s finest observational comics embarks on an EVEN BIGGER brand-new tour and has now announced an even FURTHER extension for 2020! Join him as he takes a long hard look at himself and tries to decide if he has ANY traits that are worth passing on to his children.
A TV household name, Ed has been seen on pretty much every TV programme in the UK including Mock The Week, Top Gear, Have I Got News For You, The Graham Norton Show, Live At The Apollo (Host), The One Show, The World’s Most Dangerous Roads, Dara & Ed’s Big Adventure, Dara and Ed’s Road to Mandalay and most recently QI and The Pilgrimage.
www.edbyrne.com / TWITTER @MrEdByrne
A household name teetering on the brink of national treasure status, award-winning comedian Ed Byrne enjoys worldwide acclaim for his stand-up. With 25 years under his belt, Ed has parlayed his on-stage success into a variety of notable television appearances. A regular on Mock The Week and The Graham Norton Show, Ed has recently co-presented Dara & Ed’s Big Adventure and its follow-up Dara & Ed’s Road To Mandalay, and managed not to disgrace himself on Top Gear or whilst tackling one of The World’s Most Dangerous Roads. As a semi-professional hill-walker himself and fully paid-up humanist, he also brought a refreshing warmth and honesty to BBC2’s recent hit The Pilgrimage.
But the Irishman is still best-known and best appreciated for his stand-up performances. A quarter of a century at the comedic coal-face has equipped Ed with a highly evolved story-telling ability and a silky mastery of his craft. Yet his wit, charm and self-deprecatory observational humour is often underpinned by a consistently hilarious vitriol and sense of injustice at a world that seems to be spinning ever more rapidly out of control.
Having recently hit a new peak with shows such as the sublime Spoiler Alert and reflective Outside, Looking In, which explored the minefield that is modern parenting and a generational sense of entitlement, Ed’s new show If I’m Honest digs ever deeper into a father’s sense of responsibility, what it means to be a man in 2019, and whether he possesses any qualities whatsoever worth passing on to his two sons. Occasionally accused of whimsy, If I’m Honest is a show with a seriously steely core.
Gender politics, for example, is something Ed readily engages with – deploying his customary comedic zeal. ‘I’ll admit that there are things where men get a raw deal,’ he says. ‘We have higher suicide rates, and we tend not to do well in divorces, but representation in action movies is not something we have an issue with. It was Mad Max: Fury Road that kicked it all off, even though nobody complained about Ripley in Alien or Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. Of course, social media means this stuff gets broadcast far and wide in an instant, which emboldens people.
‘The problem with men’s rights activists is that it’s not about speaking up for men’s rights, it’s about hating women. If you’re a men’s rights activist, you’re not going to care about the fact that there’s an all-female Ghostbusters remake. That’s nothing to do with men’s rights or female entitlement. That’s everything to do with being, well, a whiny baby.’
As ever, Ed manages to provoke without being overly polemical, a balancing act that only someone of his huge experience can really pull off.
‘I did stuff about Trump and the Pizzagate right wing conspiracy,’ he says, ‘and a couple of the reviewers said, “Oh, I would have liked to have watched a whole show of this”. And I think, ‘well you might have, but the average person who comes to see me would not like to see that’. I like to make a point or get something off my chest, or perhaps I’m talking about something that’s been on my mind, but the majority of stuff is just to get laughs.
‘People who come to see me are not political activists necessarily, they’re regular folk. If you can make a point to them, in between talking about your struggles with aging, or discussing your hernia operation or whatever it is, you can toss in something that does give people pause as regards to how men should share the household chores.’
He continues, ‘It’s not that I feel a responsibility, I think it just feels more satisfying when you’re doing it, and it feels more satisfying when people hear it. When a joke makes a good point, I think people enjoy it. It’s the difference between having a steak and eating a chocolate bar.’
Ed, who broke through in the mid-1990s when the New Lad became a genuine cultural phenomenon, doesn’t want to submit to any unnecessary revisionism, but admits that if the times have changed, he has changed with them. He reflects a little ruefully on one of his most famous jokes. ‘There’s an attitude towards Alanis Morrisette in the opening of that routine that I’m no longer comfortable with, where I call her a moaning cow and a whiny bint… slagging off the lyrics of the song is fine, but there’s a tone in the preamble that I wouldn’t write today.’
The new show also takes his natural tendency towards self-deprecation to unexpected extremes. ‘I do genuinely annoy myself,’ Ed concedes. ‘But the thing of your children being a reflection of you, gives you an opportunity to build something out of the best of yourself only for you to then see flashes of the worst of yourself in them. It’s a wake-up call about your own behaviour.’
When I challenge him over the degree of self-loathing he displays, he disagrees. ‘Self-aggrandising humour is a lot harder to pull off than self-deprecating humour,’ he insists. ‘A lot of people get really annoyed when Ricky Gervais is self-congratulatory. I always find it very funny when he accepts awards and does so in the most big-headed way possible. I think it’s a trickier type of humour to pull off, talking yourself up in that way.
‘So no, I don’t think I’m being massively hard on myself. The fact is when you’re the bloke who is standing on the stage with the microphone, commanding an audience’s attention, you’re in a very elevated position anyway.’
That said, If I’m Honest brilliantly elucidates the frustration that arrives in middle age – and lives up to its title. ‘I’m bored looking for things, I’m bored of trying to find stuff, because I can never find it, and it is entirely my fault,’ Ed says. ‘Nobody’s hiding my stuff from me. Although my wife did actually move my passport on one occasion’.
He insists that, while the show might have mordant and occasionally morbid aspects, it’s also not without its quietly triumphant moments. ‘I thought I was being quite upbeat talking about the small victories,’ he says. ‘You know, finding positivity in being able to spot when a cramp was about to happen in your leg and dealing with it before it does. I was very happy with myself about that.’
Age, it seems, has not withered him. Especially now that he’s figured out how to head off ailments before they become a problem. ‘You see comics who are my age and older but are still retaining a level of “cool” and drawing a young crowd. I can’t deny that I’m quite envious of that. But there’s also something very satisfying about your audience growing old with you.’
Ed Byrne is touring nationwide. For more information, please visit http://edbyrne.com/
FULL TOUR DATES
JANUARY
Fri 17th CRAWLEY, The Hawth 01293 553636 https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/The-Hawth
Sat 18th KINGSTON, Rose Theatre 0208 1740090 https://www.rosetheatrekingston.org/
Tues 21st MILTON KEYNES, The Stables 01908 280800 https://stables.org/
Weds 22nd LANCASTER, The Grand 01524 64695 https://lancastergrand.co.uk/
Thurs 23rd LEEDS, City Varieties 0845 644 1881 https://www.cityvarieties.co.uk/
Fri 24th HARROGATE, Royal Hall 01423 500500 https://www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk/
Sat 25th SHEFFIELD, Memorial Hall 0114 2 789789 https://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/
Weds 29th PETERBOROUGH, New Theatre www.newtheatre-peterborough.com
Thurs 30th BIRMINGHAM, Town Hall 0121 780 3333 https://www.thsh.co.uk/
Fri 31st HULL, City Hall 01482 300306 https://www.hulltheatres.co.uk/
FEBRUARY
Sat 1st STOKE, Victoria Hall 0844 8717649 https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/victoria-hall/
Sun 2nd SALFORD, Lowry 0843 208 6003 https://thelowry.com/
Tues 4th NORWICH, Theatre Royal 01603 630000 www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
Weds 5th LEICESTER, De Montford Hall 0116 233 3111 http://www.demontforthall.co.uk/
Thurs 6th CHATHAM, Central Theatre 01634 338338 https://watfordcolosseum.co.uk/
Fri 7th WATFORD, Colosseum 01923 571102 https://watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk/
Sat 8th BASINGSTOKE, Anvil 01256 844244 https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/
Mon 10th REDHILL, Harlequin 01737 276500 http://www.harlequintheatre.co.uk/
Tues 11th BURY ST EDMUNDS, Apex 01284 758000 https://www.theapex.co.uk/
Weds 12th NORTHAMPTON, Derngate 01604 624811 https://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/
Thurs 13th NEWCASTLE, Tyne Theatre 0844 2491000 https://tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
Fri 14th GLASGOW, Pavilion 0141 332 1846 https://www.paviliontheatre.co.uk/
Weds 26th ST ALBANS, Arena 01727 844488 https://www.alban-arena.co.uk/
Thurs 27th BOURNEMOUTH, Pavilion 0300 500 0595 http://www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk
Fri 28th AYLESBURY, Waterside 0844 871 7607 www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/
Sat 29th HIGH WYCOMBE, Wycombe Swan 01494 512000 https://wycombeswan.co.uk/
MARCH
Weds 4th WOKING, New Victoria Theatre 0844 871 7627 www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre/
Thurs 5th BELFAST, Waterfront 028 9033 4455 https://www.waterfront.co.uk/
Fri 6th BRIGHTON, Dome 01273 709709 https://brightondome.org
Sat 7th CAMBRIDGE, Corn Exchange 01223 357851 https://www.cambridgelive.org.uk/cornex
Tues 10th CORBY, Cube 01536 470470 https://www.thecorecorby.com/
Weds 11th LINCOLN, Engine Shed 0871 220 0260 https://www.engineshed.co.uk/
Thurs 12th TELFORD, Oakengates 01952 382382 https://www.theplacetelford.com/
Fri 13th SWINDON, Wyvern 01793 524481 https://swindontheatres.co.uk
Sat 14th COVENTRY, Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524 https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk
Sun 15th RICHMOND, Richmond Theatre 0844 871 7651 www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre/
Tues 17th SHREWSBURY, Theatre Severn 01743 281 281 https://www.theatresevern.co.uk/
Weds 18th CHELTENHAM, Town Hall 0844 576 2210 http://www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk
Thurs 19th BATH, Forum 0844 8889991 https://www.bathforum.co.uk/
Fri 20th BARNSTAPLE, Queens Theatre 01271 324242 https://www.queenstheatre-barnstaple.com/
Sat 21st CARDIFF, St Davids Hall 029 2087 8500 https://stdavidscardiff.com/
Tues 24th WALSALL, Forest Arts Centre 0300 555 2898 http://www.walsallarena.com/
Weds 25th SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall 02380 632601 www.academymusicgroup.com/o2guildhallsouthampton/
Thurs 26th EXMOUTH, Pavilion 01395 222477 https://www.ledleisure.co.uk/exmouth-pavilion
Fri 27th TAUNTON, Wellsprings 01823 271271 https://www.everyoneactive.com/
Sat 28th PLYMOUTH, Pavilions 0845 146 1460 https://www.plymouthpavilions.com
Sun 29th YEOVIL, Octogon 01935 422884 https://www.octagon-theatre.co.uk/
APRIL
Tues 28th HEREFORD, Courtyard Theatre 01432 340555 https://www.courtyard.org.uk/
Weds 29th BLACKWOOD, Miners Institute 01495 227206 http://your.caerphilly.gov.uk/
Thurs 30th FROME, Cheese & Grain 01373 455420 https://www.cheeseandgrain.com/
MAY
Fri 1st LEAMINGTON SPA, Pavilion 01926 334418 www.warwickdc.gov.uk/royalspacentre/
Sat 2nd ISLE OF MAN, Gaiety Theatre 01624 600555 https://www.villagaiety.com/
Weds 13th STOCKPORT: Plaza Theatre 0161 477 7779 https://stockportplaza.co.uk/
Thurs 14th LIVERPOOL, Playhouse Theatre 0151 709 4776 https://www.everymanplayhouse.com/
Fri 15th BUXTON: Opera House 0845 127 2190 https://buxtonoperahouse.org.uk/
Sat 16th IPSWICH, Regent Theatre 01473 433100 http://ipswichtheatres.co.uk/
Sun 17th BLACKPOOL, Grand Theatre 01253 290190 https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
Weds 20th WIMBORNE: Tivoli Theatre 01202 885566 https://www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk/
Thurs 21st DARTFORD, Orchard 01322 220000 https://orchardtheatre.co.uk/
Fri 22nd FARNHAM, Maltings 01252 745444 https://farnhammaltings.com/
JUNE
Mon 1st-Tues 2nd DUNDEE, Rep Theatre 01382 223530 https://www.dundeerep.co.uk/
Weds 3rd MOTHERWELL, Concert Hall 01698 403120 https://culturenl.co.uk/
Thurs 4th PERTH, Concert Hall 01738 621031 https://www.horsecross.co.uk/
Fri 5th DUNFERMLINE, Alhambra Theatre 01383 740384 https://alhambradunfermline.com/
Sat 6th ABERDEEN, Music Hall 01224 641122 https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com
Tues 9th ISLE OF WIGHT, Shanklin 01983 868000 https://www.shanklintheatre.com/
Weds 10th BEXHILL, De La Warr Pavilion 01424 229111 https://www.dlwp.com/
Thurs 11th PORTSMOUTH, New Theatre Royal 023 9264 9000 https://www.newtheatreroyal.com/
Fri 12th BRIDPORT, Electric Palace 01308 424901 https://www.electricpalace.org.uk/
Sat 13th TORQUAY, Babbacombe 01803 328385 https://www.babbacombe-theatre.com/
Tues 16th BILLINGHAM, Forum 01642 552663 https://forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk/
Weds 17th MIDDLETON, Arena 01706 923160 www.link4life.org/centres/middleton-arena
Thurs 18th DUDLEY, Town Hall 01384 812812 http://www.boroughhalls.co.uk/
Fri 19th DURHAM, Gala 0300 026 6600 https://www.galadurham.co.uk/
Sat 20th HALIFAX, Victoria Theatre 01422 351158 https://www.victoriatheatre.co.uk/
Weds 24th GUILDFORD, G Live 0844 7701 797 https://glive.co.uk/
Thurs 25th HARLOW: Playhouse 01279 431 945 https://harlowplayhouse.co.uk/
Fri 26th HASTINGS, White Rock Theatre 01424 462288 https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk
Sat 27th SALISBURY, City Hall 01722 434434 http://www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk/
Sun 28th HIGH WYCOMBE, The Swan 01494 512000 https://wycombeswan.co.uk
Tues 30th DUNSTABLE, The Grove 01582 60 20 80 https://www.grovetheatre.co.uk/
JULY
Weds 1st STEVENAGE: Gordon Craig Theatre 01438 363200 https://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/
Thurs 2nd EPSOM, Playhouse 01372 742555 http://www.epsomplayhouse.co.uk/
Fri 3rd CHESTERFIELD: Winding Wheel 01246 345 333 https://www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk/
Sat 4th MIDDLESBROUGH, Town Hall 01642 729729 www.middlesbroughtownhall.co.uk/
PRAISE FOR ED
✭✭✭✭✭ “A masterful display of the comics art…This is a seamless and perfectly timed show that could stand proudly next to any Izzard, Bailey, Carr or Skinner stadium-filler” SUNDAY TIMES
✭✭✭✭✭ “The hour is self-deprecating, never self-indulgent, and his packed audience are well entertained” SUNDAY EXPRESS
✭✭✭✭✭ “A master of observational comedy” BROADWAYBABY
✭✭✭✭✭ “Hysterical … a must-see show. My face still hurts from laughing so much” THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
✭✭✭✭✭ “Expert stand up from the brilliant Ed Byrne” FRINGE BISCUIT
✭✭✭✭✭ "Honestly, great...a superbly crafted hour of entertainment... definitely stand-up at its best... you are in for a treat... you would be remiss not to try and catch it" VOICE MAG UK
✭✭✭✭✭ “A comedy masterclass with no wrong moves” DAILY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
✭✭✭✭1/2 "Natural raconteur skills, his wicked sense of humour and a charismatic stage presence that flows from the stage... if you can get a ticket still, do it now” ONE4REVIEW
✭✭✭✭ “Thoroughly entertaining… he is a total pro and, on this form, terrific company” THE TIMES
✭✭✭✭ “Byrne is at the top of his game” SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
✭✭✭✭ “It is rare for a comic to merit the word “masterful” but in this case it is no overstatement” THE SCOTSMAN
✭✭✭✭ “A show full of top –class observational humour… a great comedian making the simple sublime, Byrne gives his audience exactly what they want” EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS
✭✭✭✭ “Superior stand up from the nerd next door” THE HERALD
✭✭✭✭ “There is nothing quite like seeing Byrne doing what he does best” DAILY MAIL
✭✭✭✭ “Hilarious… a good, honest night’s work” CHORTLE
✭✭✭✭ “You can’t help but love him” IRISH SUN
✭✭✭✭ “As sarcastic, caustic and self-deprecating as ever...deliciously blindsiding... terrific" THE ARTS DESK
✭✭✭✭ “Byrne is one of the funniest and most articulate of our established comedians” THE MORNING STAR
✭✭✭✭ “There is a reason why he has become a household name” ED FEST MAG
✭✭✭✭ "Edgy, energetic, sharp-witted and thoroughly likeable... observational comics as good as Ed are few and far between" SCOTTISH FIELD MAGAZINE
✭✭✭✭ "I challenge you to find a performer in Edinburgh with a more infectious personality than Ed Byrne. Byrne is a comedian par excellence... had the audience grinning from ear to ear" THE 730 REVIEW
✭✭✭✭ “As self-deprecating and cynical as ever in this hilarious hour of comedy…a class comedian and storyteller…Byrne is a riot… you’d honestly be a fool to miss out” THE WEE REVIEW
“At the height of his powers…it’s no wonder this is selling out nightly” THE OBSERVER
"His set had the audience in stitches for most of the evening - they roared their approval at the end” THE STAGE
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Credits:
ED BYRNE SYNDICATED INTERVIEW By Jason Barlow, Tour dates By Arrangement with Vivienne Smith Management, Images Idil Sukan