EDINBURGH 2022: Jake Farrell Q&A

BWW catches up with Jake Farrell to chat about bringing Sky to the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tell us a bit about Sky.

Sky is my debut stand up show and it's about moving back to my hometown of Stevenage during the pandemic and the madness that me and my partner experienced during that time. It's a bit hard to explain but the name Sky refers to something that was a bit of a nightmare for us during the move that ultimately led to something quite positive - not to get too M Night Shamalyan but I'll save that bit for the show. Though I've evoked the name of one of the greatest storytellers of the last 100 years (Signs proper shit me up when I was 13) the show is mainly just intended as an hour of funny observational stand up rather than some grand narrative. I love comedians like Kevin Bridges and Simon Amstell and this is my attempt to get somewhere in the post code of what they do whilst saying a bit about my life.

Why did you decide to bring it to Edinburgh?

Christ. Hard question. Thinking about it from a positive perspective - because the Fringe is a singular experience and a completely mad atmosphere. It's the best place to see full on one hour shows every night for a month and the best place for shows like that to get better. I've loved coming to Edinburgh as an audience member and want to emulate shows and comedians I've seen up here. I've got a great venue and I'm genuinely looking forward to getting up there and doing the show every night.

The other, honest, part of the equation of why I am bringing the show to Edinburgh is because structurally the British comedy industry is almost entirely orientated around the Fringe and for people like me, who enjoy the experience of being on stage in front of nice audiences for some money but are crucially not in any way famous, it feels like the rite of passage that is required to possibly attain that. That's probably changing and might be indicative of my lack of vision or ability to harness podcasts and social media or whatever but it feels true and I'm sticking to it.

How did you pass the time in lockdown?

I rewatched The Sopranos and was reminded of how funny it is amongst all the investigation of the human condition and whatever. There's a line in an episode called Pine Barrens about an "interior decorator" that is funnier than anything I or any other comedian will ever write. Other than that I drank too much lager and got quite in deep on this internet phenomenon called The Hum. It's this low pitched sound that people hear, can't escape and are then convinced emanates from the centre of the earth. I thought that I could hear it too but on reflection, I'm pretty sure it was just my fridge being filtered through the lens of anxiety over a global pandemic. Still interesting nonetheless.

Who would you like to come and see Sky?

Absolutely anyone. I reckon there is something in the show to appeal to most people. Beyond that - I've got a line in it about the ex-footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink and it would be quite cool if he came and got to see it.

Do you think you know what to expect from the festival?