Radio 4 Comedian Alex Kealy Returns To The Edinburgh Fringe

After tackling Big Tech in his breakthrough and acclaimed 2022 show, Alex Kealy (The Now Show, Gig Pigswith Ivo Graham) will present a new show about fear.

This is the best year of Alex's life. He's getting married and is, bluntly, happy. But if you're an anxious overthinker and it's going well, you just start thinking about when it'll all end. You get "the fear".

But what's at the root of these personal anxieties? If Alex cannot win the war with the voices in his head, can't he at least achieve a plausible UN-administered power-sharing agreement with them? Is it possible to achieve a positive transformation of your psychological make-up if you're not cool enough to take Ayahuasca?

And, politically, is fear a dangerous evolutionary hangover that always leads to the toxic politics of division? Or are our fears a shared imagination that draws us together to create durable societies and structures that enable our flourishing? And can you say boo to a goose?

Don't be too afraid, though - there'll also be loads of great jokes fashioned out of his over-examination of coffee machines, the book of Ephesians, duty-free shopping, monarchy, how love is like totalitarianism, beach holidays, death, losing your voice, organised religion and Toblerone.

'The Fear' runs at The Hive @ Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh between 29th July and 25th August (not 13th) at 4.15pm - tickets are available here.

Alex Kealy is a stand-up comedian who mixes smart political material with self-deprecation and relatable observations. In his first year of performing, he reached the final of the prestigious So You Think You're Funny competition. He has since taken five hours of stand-up to the Edinburgh Fringe, including 2022's Winner Takes All, which made The Times's Top Jokes of the Fringe and received a host of 4-star reviews before a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre and a subsequent national tour.

Meanwhile, on the live circuit, he can be seen performing full weekends at the biggest comedy clubs in the country, including The Comedy Store, The Glee Clubs, Brighton Komedia and Monkey Barrel. He's also supported Ivo Graham, Shaparak Khorsandi, Tatty Macleod, Tom Rosenthal and Pierre Novellie on their national tours.

In radio work, Alex has twice appeared on The Now Show on BBC Radio 4, as well as on the pilot episode of Rhys James' Radio 4 show What Are You Talking About?. He is also the co-host of the Gig Pigspodcast, along with Ivo Graham, where comedian guests (including James Acaster, Nish Kumar, Lou Sanders and Rose Matafeo) are taken to a live music gig and then give their verdict afterwards. It's quickly established a loyal following of music and comedy fans, and the first 2 seasons regularly saw it reach the top of the UK music podcast charts.

An in-demand joke writer, Alex regularly writes for shows including Mock The Week (BBC Two), The News Quiz and The Now Show (both BBC Radio 4), as well as Turtle Canyon Comedy's Grave New World ('a fresh perspective, stylised writing and high gag rate' - Beyond The Joke). His comedy has been listed in the Top Jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe by The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Independent, iNews, The Scotsman and The Huffington Post.

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