Review: Rob Mulholland, The Stand, Edinburgh
⭐⭐⭐
On paper at least, Rob Mulholland and Edinburgh seem ill-suited. Describing himself as, 'the funny one from Dead Men Talking, the UK's most disgusting podcast,' the blunt Yorkshireman's language and content would have the majority of Morningside matrons frantically clutching their pearls. 'You'll have had your PC?'
After some funny and surreal musings – mainly about vacuum cleaners – from warm-up act Rosco McClelland, Rob's very, very tall frame appears on stage. A seasoned stand-up with Fringe appearances going back to 2017, this Allegations tour is surprisingly his first. He's marked the occasion by going proper comedy old-school in a dinner jacket and bow tie. There's even a cummerbund.
'Are there any women in?' Rob asks. He seems surprised to discover there are and wants to check if they're in the right room. 'These are more my usual crowd,' he says pointing at a group of baseball-hat wearing, beer-swilling lads in the front row. Back and forth banter with the audience reveals an international demographic. Bog standard for Edinburgh, but it pleases Rob no end. The interactions show off his excellent ad-libbing skills but go on a tad too long. Do we really need to applaud two blokes for being father and son?
When Rob eventually adds substance, he supersizes it. Observations on genocide, refugees and the toxic trope of benefit scroungers are all delivered dripping in heavy sarcasm. Just in case we miss the mockery, punchlines are punctuated with expansive jazz hand gestures. There's little subtlety but lots of smart in this comedy. His description of someone being, 'a train station pigeon of a man,' is the nearest you'll come to a poetry reading at a stand-up gig.
Read more:
But just when things are going so swimmingly, they take a turn. Rob decides to get his quips out for the boys and lean into the misogyny. A few of the jokes are pretty distasteful. Many of them are very old. The lads in the front row are lapping them up. The reaction from the rest of the audience is mixed.
It's a lost opportunity and a real shame. At one point, Rob announces that this is not a beginner's comedy show. He's right. It's a very good one that had the potential to be a great one. Less shock and awe and more shock and aww for what might've been.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Review: Rob Mulholland, The Stand, Edinburgh
⭐⭐⭐ On paper at least, Rob Mulholland and Edinburgh seem ill-suited. Describing himself as, 'the funny one from Dead Men Talking, the UK's most disgusting podcast,' the blunt Yorkshireman's language and content would have the majority of Morningside matrons frantically clutching their pearls. 'You'll have had your PC?' After some funny and surreal musings – mainly about vacuum cleaners – from warm-up act Rosco McClelland, Rob's very, very tall frame appears on stage. A seasoned stand-up with Fringe appearances going back to 2017, this Allegations tour is surprisingly his first. He's marked the occasion by going proper comedy old-school in a dinner jacket and bow tie. There's even a cummerbund. 'Are there any women in?' Rob asks. He seems surprised to discover there are and wants to check if they're in the right room. 'These are more my usual crowd,' he says pointing at a group of baseball-hat wearing, beer-swilling lads in the front row. Back and forth banter with the audience reveals an international demographic. Bog standard for Edinburgh, but it pleases Rob no end. The interactions show off his excellent ad-libbing skills but go on a tad too long. Do we really need to applaud two blokes for being father and son? When Rob eventually adds substance, he supersizes it. Observations on genocide, refugees and the toxic trope of benefit scroungers are all delivered dripping in heavy sarcasm. Just in case we miss the mockery, punchlines are punctuated with expansive jazz hand gestures. There's little subtlety but lots of smart in this comedy. His description of someone being, 'a train station pigeon of a man,' is the nearest you'll come to a poetry reading at a stand-up gig. Read more: But just when things are going so swimmingly, they take a turn. Rob decides to get his quips out for the boys and lean into the misogyny. A few of the jokes are pretty distasteful. Many of them are very old. The lads in the front row are lapping them up. The reaction from the rest of the audience is mixed. It's a lost opportunity and a real shame. At one point, Rob announces that this is not a beginner's comedy show. He's right. It's a very good one that had the potential to be a great one. Less shock and awe and more shock and aww for what might've been.
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Scotsman
Ten Thousand Hours – The Fringe's fittest return with guts, glory, and gravity
Eight acrobats. Sixty minutes. Ten thousand hours. One unforgettable Fringe experience. Australia's top acrobats are back with another jaw-dropping hit that celebrates the sweat behind the spectacle Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Jumping, flipping and flying back to the Edinburgh Fringe this August is Ten Thousand Hours, brought from Australia by Gravity and Other Myths. Fresh from its 2025 Adelaide Critics Circle Award win, eight performers come together in a show that is as emotionally resonant as it is visually stunning. Blending raw humanity with impossible skill, the Australian troupe take audiences behind the curtain revealing the gruelling training and years of camaraderie that defines their journey. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Director Lachlan Binns says: "Ten Thousand Hours is about the excitement of learning something new. Our artists have spent their lives in the pursuit of mastering their craft, whether that be acrobatics, gymnastics, music, or dance and their journeys share remarkable similarities." This isn't just a circus show, it's a tribute to the bodies we rely on and the time we never get back. Ten Thousand Hours Gravity and Other Myths Venue: Assembly Hall Dates: 31st Jul - 24th Aug Time: 6pm Tickets: from £10 Run Time: 60 Mins Age Guidance: 5+
Scotsman
11 hours ago
- Scotsman
18 influencers with shows at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe
From YouTube stars to TikTok sensations, here are just some of the 'influencers' with their own shows at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. | Getty Images From TikTok stars to YouTube creators, here are some of the social media influencers performing at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is hard to escape social media in this day and age - even if you are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe to catch a few shows. And while you could choose to avoid shows by content creators – or influencers as they are also known – in doing so, you could potentially miss out on some of the best shows of the 2025 Festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For example, TikTok star Abi Clarke may be best recognised for her sketches of office workers Jill and Tracy, but her stand-up show (Role) Model received 4-stars from The Scotsman's reviewer last year, and it will return to the festival once again for 2025. YouTuber Max Fosh will also return to the Fringe, this time with the finished version of his show Loophole, while one of the platform's original creators Grace Helbig will appear with her stand-up routine Let Me Get This Off My Chest. And then there are the comedians who have found huge followings on various social media platforms, such as Daniel Foxx or Gianmarco Soresi. But with that in mind, here are 18 comedians you may recognise from doomscrolling who will appear during the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Max Fosh Max Fosh With more than 4.66 million subscribers, Max Fosh is a hugely popular English YouTuber. He is perhaps best known for stunts such as tricking incoming arrivals at Gatwick airport in London with a large 'Welcome to Luton' sign but following his success with comedy online, Gosh has been touring the UK with his stand up. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fosh's first Edinburgh Fringe performance was in 2022, while last year he appeared with his work in progress show Loophole, which he will bring back to the festival for 2025. Max Fosh will perform at the Fringe on Sunday, August 17 at Underbelly, Bristo Square - McEwan Hall (Venue 302). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Grace Helbig One of the original YouTubers, Grace Helbig has been a content creator since 2008. Her channel itsGrace has 2.6 million subscribers and she is known for working alongside Mamrie Hart on their This Might Get… channel. As well as being an influencer, Helbig has appeared in TV shows such as HBO Max's animated Jellystone! and is the host of a number of podcasts. The American content creator's Fringe stand-up show, titled Let Me Get This Off My Chest, will cover her career as well as her breast cancer diagnosis at 37. Grace Helbig will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Sunday, August 21 at Jack Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23). There are also preview shows on Wednesday, July 30 and Thursday, July 31. Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ziwe While she may be recognised for her sketch shows and her writing on television series such as Dickinson, American comedian Ziwe has also built up a massive following for herself on social media. From 'Baited with Ziwe' to her 'You'd Be an Iconic Guest' series on YouTube, Ziwe has been responsible for a number of viral clips on social media with guests from George Santos to Renee Rapp. With 1.2 million followers on TikTok alone, alongside her other talents Ziwe most certainly counts as an influencer. Ziwe will perform at the Fringe from Wednesday, August 20 until Saturday, August 23 at Pleasance One at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Deep Turkish Web As part of Turkish Comedy Week, the brothers behind YouTube channel Deep Turkish Web will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe. With 1.47 million subscribers on the platform, they will bring their live comedy show to the festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Be advised, however, that the show will be entirely in Turkish. Deep Turkish Web will perform at the Fringe on Sunday, August 24 at Just The Sub-Atomic Room at Just the Tonic Nucleus (Venue 393). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Shabaz Ali In his debut comedy show, TikTok star Shabaz Ali – AKA Shabaz Says – will perform at the Fringe in 2025. Originally a chemistry teacher and now an author, with 2 million followers on TikTok Ali likes to give his audience a reality check when he sees videos of people flexing their trips to Dubai, fancy jewellery and more. Now he will bring his I'm Rich, You're Poor show to Edinburgh for the festival, peeling back the curtains on the 'perfect' lives we see on social media. Shabaz Ali will perform at the Fringe from Monday, August 11 until Saturday, August 23 at Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Gianmarco Soresi Gianmarco Soresi Though he is primarily a stand up comedian – unlike some of those on this list which are content creators first – Gianmarco Soresi has millions of followers across social media. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Whether it is his sketches on TikTok, clips of his crowdwork from shows or his podcast The Downside, the New York-based comedian has captured the attention of audiences around the world. His upcoming show marks his Edinburgh Fringe debut. Gianmarco Soresi will perform at the Fringe from Monday, August 18 until Sunday, August 24 at Monkey Barrel 3 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Abi Clarke Abi Clarke: (Role) Model | Pic: Dylan Woodley If you have TikTok, it is highly likely that you will have encountered Abi Clarke. With just under 1 million followers on the app, the English comedian is behind a number of viral videos such as her sketches about the lives of office workers Jill and Tracy. After a sell-out run last year, Clarke will return to the Fringe this year with her 4-star show (Role) Model as well as introducing audiences to a number of her favourite acts with Abi Clarke and Comedians Who Haven't Wronged Her. Abi Clarke will perform (Role) Model at the Fringe from Monday, August 4 until Wednesday August 6. She will also bring Abi Clarke and Comedians Who Haven't Wronged Her to the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Friday, August 8. Both shows will be held at Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Niall Gray Niall Gray has amassed more than 716.2k followers on TikTok through his comedy sketches which parody shows such as This Morning and A Place in the Sun. In addition, Gray is also a presenter on Capital FM and Strictly: It Takes Two. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As for what he will be up to at the Edinburgh Fringe, the English presenter will host comedy showdown Let The Best Man Win which will see comics compete to deliver the best improv best man's speech. Niall Gray will perform at the Fringe from Wednesday, August 13 until Sunday, August 17 at Just The Sub-Atomic Room at Just the Tonic Nucleus (Venue 393). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Jenny Tian Jenny Tian had enjoyed doing stand up since catching a performance by Ronny Chieng at her university, but it wasn't until lockdown that the Chinese Australian comedian found fame online. In posting funny videos on TikTok she gained enough of an audience to quit her job and pursue a comedy career, which has seen her appear on Taskmaster Australia. Now, after moving to London, Tian will head to the Edinburgh Fringe with her show Jenny's Travels. Jenny Tian will perform at the Fringe from Monday, August 11 until Sunday, August 24 at Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Kyla Cobbler Known for sharing her life with more than 429,000 followers on Instagram, Kyla Cobbler is an influencer as well as a comedian. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With online content that covers everything from her personal life to worldwide issues, Cobbler is well known for her storytelling style, which she will bring to the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Kyla Cobbler will perform at the Fringe from Wednesday, August 13 until Sunday, August 17 at Belly Laugh at Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Daniel Foxx "My grandma describes herself as being in her 'twilight years' which I love because they're great films." | Contributed Another comedian whose sketches have seen them become a viral sensation online, Daniel Foxx's TikTok videos have seen him play a number of different characters – including middle class mums in his series called Bedtime Stories for Privileged Children which has since been turned into a book. During the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe, Foxx's show Villain received a 4-star review from The Scotsman, with one of his jokes even being named among the top 10 funniest of the last ten years of the festival. He will return in 2025 with a Work in Progress show. Daniel Foxx will perform at the Fringe from Tuesday, August 5 until Saturday, August 9 at CabVol 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Cabaret Voltaire) (Venue 338c). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Alasdair Beckett-King Alasdair Beckett-King. A stand-up comedian before he is a viral sensation, Alasdair Beckett-King's sketch videos which make fun of everything from nineties adverts to Americans writing British characters have seen him gain plenty of online attention. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In addition to his comedy endeavours, either online or in person, Beckett-King is also the author of the Montgomery Bonbon series. Alasdair Beckett-King will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Monday, August 11 at King Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23). There are also preview shows on Wednesday, July 30 and Thursday, July 31. Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Tom Cashman Though he will best be recognised for his comedy and his time as the Taskmaster's assistant on the Australian version of the show, Tom Cashman has also been the subject of a number of viral videos which have seen him gain more than 357,000 followers on TikTok. Cashman will bring his show 2 Truths, 1 Lie and 17 Slight Exaggerations to this year's festival. Tom Cashman will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Sunday, August 24 at Monkey Barrel 2 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515). There will also be a preview show on Thursday, July 31. Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Ali Woods If you are someone who spends time scrolling on either TikTok or Instagram, chances are you will have seen one of Ali Woods' viral videos on everything from randomly having adult thoughts to how straight men dress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Someone whose social media is an extension of their comedy career, Woods' will perform at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Ali Woods will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Sunday, August 24 at Friesian at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302). There are also preview shows on Wednesday, July 30 and Thursday, July 31. Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Max Fulham Max Fulham as Smee with co-star Gordan the Monkey Having gained a large following and millions of likes on social media, comedian and ventriloquist Max Fulham will make his Edinburgh Fringe debut during this year's festival. Titled Full of Ham, the show will cover everything from self-service checkouts to the titular ham. Max Fulham will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Monday, August 25 at Friesian at Cellar at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33). There are also preview shows on Wednesday, July 30 and Thursday, July 31. Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Vittorio Angelone Vittorio Angelone Italian-Irish comedian Vittorio Angelone is no stranger to performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, with his debut performance at the festival in 2022 selling out. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As for his social media presence, with more than 200,000 followers on TikTok and almost 7 million collective likes, clips from his comedy shows and his podcast, Mike & Vittorio's Guide to Parenting, often go viral online. Meanwhile, the Irishman will bring his show you can't Say Nothing any more to the 2025 Fringe with two additional shows having been added to the initial run. Vittorio Angelone will perform at the Fringe from Friday, August 1 until Sunday, August 24. There will also be a preview show on Thursday, July 31. Performances will take place at Monkey Barrel 1 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) and McEwan Hall at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302). Tickets can be purchased via the Edinburgh Fringe website. Russell Hicks MC Russell Hicks Known for his viral Dear Diary video series on TikTok, comedian Russell Hicks will bring his work in progress stand-up routine to the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Hicks may also be recognised from his time on Prime Video series Lovestruck High as well as ITV's Stand Up Sketch Show. Russell Hicks will perform at the Fringe from Tuesday, August 12 until Sunday, August 24 at The Ballroom at Laughing Horse @ The Counting House (Venue 170). For more ticket information visit the Edinburgh Fringe website. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kim Blythe Kim Blythe on stage | GICF Having found success on TikTok with almost 200,000 followers, Scottish comedian Kim Blythe will bring her second show to the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Titled Cowboy, it follows Blythe's appearance at the Fringe last year which saw her win The Besties Emerging Talent Award.
