Tuesday, 12th May 2015

Avalon announce the full line-up for their 27th year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with the chance to see limited runs from established and award-winning comics including: AL MURRAY, CHRIS RAMSEY, LEE NELSON and ALEX HORNE, a first solo UK appearance by US comic ARI SHAFFIR and a host of other debut, musical, sketch and political comedy shows for a fully-charged 27th anniversary at the Fringe.

Tickets for all shows are available to buy from Monday 11th May on www.wearelivecomedy.com

During the last 27 years, Avalon has promoted more Edinburgh Comedy Award winners and nominees than any other company including: CHRIS ADDISON, GREG DAVIES, DAVE GORMAN, HARRY HILL, RUSSELL HOWARD, THE MIGHTY BOOSH, FRANK SKINNER, AL MURRAY, RUSSELL KANE, ALEX HORNE, ROISIN CONATY, CARL DONNELLY, KRISTEN SCHAAL & KURT BRAUNOHLER and GARTH MARENGHI and two of only four female winners of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award; JENNY ECLAIR and LAURA SOLON.

Avalon’s line-up for 2015 includes:

CARL DONNELLY – Jive Ass Honky
MATT FORDE – Get The Political Party Started
ALEX HORNE – Monsieur Butterfly
HORNE SECTION – The Horne Section’s Questions Sessions
AL MURRAY: THE PUB LANDLORD – Summer Saloon Show
LEE NELSON – Suited & Booted
CHRIS RAMSEY – All Growed Up
ARI SHAFFIR – This Is Not Happening
IAIN STIRLING -Touchy Feely
THÜNDERBARDS – Chapter III
VARIOUS – The Humble Quest for Universal Genius
PHIL WANG – Philth
MATT WINNING – Mugabe and Me (3D)

Follow @livecomedy for news and ticket info. For further information, interview requests or images please contact the Edinburgh press team at edinburghpress@avalonuk.com or phone Lottie Robertshaw or Victoria Wedderburn on 0207 598 7222

STAND-UP

CARL DONNELLY – Jive Ass Honky
“Observational genius”
The Guardian

Double Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Carl Donnelly returns to the Pleasance Courtyard with his all new show about therapy, depression, relationships, body issues and family. Most recently Carl performed on Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), adding to a list of various TV and radio show appearances including Mock The Week, Russell Howard’s Good News, 5live and talkSPORT.

MATT FORDE – Get The Political Party Started
“Singlehandedly fulfilling comedy’s brief of taking our political masters to task”
Mail on Sunday

Up to the minute satire inevitably affected by the outcome of an election, which at the time of writing had not taken place and when a Green/BNP coalition was just a pipe dream.
As seen on Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report, Have I Got News For You and Question Time.

ALEX HORNE – Monsieur Butterfly
“One of the most inventive comics on the fringe”
The Observer

Nominated for the 2014 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award, Alex’s stupidly ambitious, logistically problematic and potentially disastrous DIY comedy show is back. Now even bigger and even less likely to succeed, this is Monsieur Butterfly.

LEE NELSON – Suited & Booted
“Comedy legend”
The Sun

You may have seen him host Live at The Apollo or caught him singing on The X Factor, now Lee Nelson returns to the place where it all started. Only this time he’s bringing a new look, a new outlook and a brand new show to this overpriced, overlong festival.

CHRIS RAMSEY – All Growed Up
“Terrifyingly talented”
GQ

Critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, Celebrity Juice regular and the man who once got pizza delivered to a moving train returns to Edinburgh with a brand new show. Join him as he explores getting older, taking responsibility, realising you are no longer a child and all of the other terrifying realisations that come with being dragged kicking and screaming into modern adulthood. 10 nights only!

ARI SHAFFIR -This Is Not Happening
“Comedy Central’s new comic of the moment”
Uproxx

Comedian Ari Shaffir brings his hit Comedy Central story-telling TV series This Is Not Happening to the stage! Nothing is off limits, as Ari brings up some of his favourite comics to tell their favourite, most embarrassing, or just plain funniest true-life stories in front of a live audience.

IAIN STIRLING – Touchy Feely
“One of Scotland’s hottest newcomers”
The Scotsman

Edinburgh’s very own double BAFTA nominated Iain Stirling is back at the festival following 3 successive sell-out runs. A show about post-referendum Scotland and that time he annoyed the armed forces!

Credits include; The Now Show, Dilemma (Radio 4), Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC3), The Josh Widdicombe Show (XFM), Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central (Comedy Central) and The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC).

PHIL WANG – Philth
“Certain belly laughs”
Sunday Times

Phil Wang, “master of the intellectual dick joke” (Time Out), is back with another hour of absolute gold, if he’s being honest. Whether it’s race, family, love, satire, or sex – this suave dork is full of surprises.

As seen on Top Coppers (BBC3) and Russell Howard’s Stand-Up Central (Comedy Central).

MATT WINNING – Mugabe and Me (3D)
“Instant laughs”
Skinny

Moderately anticipated free fringe debut hour of idiosyncratic nonsense from Winning (The Comedy Zone 2013, finalist BBC New Comedy Awards 2012, winner Hilarity Bites New Act 2011, finalist Chortle Student Comedy Awards 2010 and 2011). Also co-creator of the ‘cultish’ (Independent) Fringe show the Bearpit Podcast (Podcast) with Mat Ewins, John Kearns, Adam Hess, Richard Gadd, Lolly Adefope and Fin Taylor.

VARIETY & SKETCH

AL MURRAY- THE PUB LANDLORD – Summer Saloon Show
“Wickedly witty stuff”
Daily Telegraph

The nation’s favourite publican invites you to his raucous saloon. Serving up a host of special guests expect comedy, music and variety on tap. The 2014 sell-out returns for a strictly limited run – ladies and gents place your orders now!

HORNE SECTION – The Horne Section’s Questions Sessions
“An absolute blast *****”
Metro

The only band to ever host Never Mind The Buzzcocks, stars of Cats Does Countdown, the mighty Horne Section are back with their very own quiz show featuring the world’s finest comedians.
After numerous bits and bobs on TV, three of their own series on Radio 4 and five years of sell out shows around the world, Alex Horne now leads his outlandishly brilliant band into proper question-related battle.

THÜNDERBARDS – Chapter III
“Brilliantly performed and hysterically written”
The List

Critically acclaimed sketch duo Thünderbards (“Without question one of the funniest sketch shows on the Fringe” GQ) return to Edinburgh with their third hour of comedy. Tipped as “one of the UK’s most promising emerging sketch acts” (Edinburgh Festivals Magazine), Thünderbards create surreal scenes, vibrant characters and appalling puns, as silly as they are scholarly.
Chapter III follows the boys as they strive to get through every book in their local public library in the hour before its inevitable closure. Madness..

VARIOUS – The Humble Quest for Universal Genius
“The bastard child of Q.I. and Shooting Stars”
Chortle

The Humble Quest makes a triumphant return to Edinburgh. Witness two top comedians going head-to-head against each other in an epic battle of ingenuity, wit and skill. The aim is simple: to find a true modern-day Renaissance Man or Woman. From Art, Science and Languages, to Poetry, Mathematics and, of course, Hunting, we will leave no part of the contestants’ brains untested. The show has previously attracted some of the biggest names in stand-up including James Acaster, Alex Horne, Sara Pascoe, Romesh Ranganathan, Nick Helm and Josh Widdicombe. It’s been 500 years since Da Vinci and Galileo. It’s time to find a new Universal Genius…

SHOW DETAILS

CARL DONNELLY
Jive Ass Honky
Upstairs, Pleasance
5th to 30th August
8.30pm

MATT FORDE
Get The Political Party Started
Cabaret Bar, Pleasance
5th to 30th August
3.50pm

ALEX HORNE
Monsieur Butterfly
Forth, Pleasance
15th to 29th August
7pm

HORNE SECTION
The Horne Section’s Questions Sessions
Debating Hall, Gilded Balloon
15th to 29th August
10.40pm

AL MURRAY: THE PUB LANDLORD
Summer Saloon Show
Palazzo, Assembly
21st to 30th August
7.20pm

LEE NELSON
Suited & Booted
Cabaret Bar, Pleasance
5th to 30th August
10.45pm

CHRIS RAMSEY
All Growed Up
GST, Assembly
20th to 30th August
8.45pm

ARI SHAFFIR
This Is Not Happening
Ace Dome, Pleasance
Weekends
11pm

IAIN STIRLING
Touchy Feely
Above, Pleasance
5th to 28th August
7.40pm

THÜNDERBARDS
Chapter III
Belly Laugh, Underbelly
6th to 30th August
5pm

VARIOUS
The Humble Quest for Universal Genius
21st to 30th August
Bosco, Assembly
2pm

PHIL WANG
Philth
Upstairs, Pleasance
5th to 30th August
6pm

MATT WINNING
Mugabe and Me (3D)
Upstairs, Opium
8th to 29th August
3.45pm

Notes to the Editor:

Avalon Edinburgh Comedy Award winners include:

1991 – FRANK SKINNER
1995 – JENNY ECLAIR
1999 – AL MURRAY
2001 – GARTH MARENGHI (MATTHEW HOLNESS, RICHARD AYOADE)
2005 – LAURA SOLON
2010- RUSSELL KANE

Avalon Edinburgh Comedy Award – Best Newcomer winners include:

1992 – HARRY HILL
1998 – THE MIGHTY BOOSH
2010 – ROISIN CONATY