British Comedy Guide

2011 Edinburgh Fringe

The Three Englishmen: Optimists

The Three Englishmen: Optimists. Image shows from L to R: Jack Hartnell, Tom Hensby, Ben Cottam, Nick Hall
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Venue

88: Just The Tonic at the Caves

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Just the Tonic

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Following their sell-out debut, the acclaimed sketch group return with an unmissable all-new hour of inspired comedy and music. Described as 'a confident, inventive sketch act ... instantly likeable' by Chortle.co.uk, the Englishmen have spent the year appearing to packed audiences across the UK and on BBC2. Now they proudly present their new show, Optimists. So come and join the Englishmen for an unforgettable hour of comedy that will blow you away! 'Priceless' **** (List), 'Bizarre, charismatic and side-splittingly funny' ***** (ThreeWeeks), 'Charisma, wit and talent' **** (British Comedy Guide).

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Video: The Three Englishmen

Last week, during one of the brief dry spells to be had in Edinburgh this August, Fest met up with London-based sketch comedy troupe The Three Englishmen on a balcony at the Pleasance Dome so that they could serenade us (and a large number of mildly bemused observers on the street below) with a nautically-themed paean to old technology...

Claudine Quinn and Marcus Kernohan, Fest Mag, 20th August 2011

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Following their smash-hit total sell-out debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2010, get ready to be lifted up and blown away by an all new hour of sketch comedy from The Three Englishmen. The Musical Comedy Awards 2011 finalists are back with the very best bits from a year of sold-out gigs in London and across the UK.

A hugely enjoyable combination of the warmth of Morecambe and Wise, the darkness of the League of Gentlemen, the absurdity of Monty Python and the anarchy of Reeves and Mortimer and a positive smorgasbord of assorted sketches and musical delights, this is a show to waken even the most jaded comedy palate.

The Three Englishmen are Ben Cottam, Nick Hall, Jack Hartnell and Tom Hensby. They have been together since 2009, performing sketch and musical comedy across the UK, and gaining particular attention for their residency at the Canal Cafe Theatre, where they present a new hour of material every month. Their work marries the originality and inventiveness of experimental theatre with the instant gratification of sketch comedy.

Ben Cottam met Tom as part of Alcock Improv. They later formed The Three Englishmen, and were joined by Nick and Jack. He has worked as a TV development producer on various programmes including Louis Theroux specials and Radio comedies, such as The Now Show and The News Quiz. He worked with Armando Iannucci on the third series of The Thick Of It.

Nick Hall has been working in improvised comedy for nearly ten years, and formed his own troupe, Dead Man In A Box. He attempted to become a serious actor with performances in Gogol's The Government Inspector and Shakespeare's The Tempest (Bloomsbury Theatre), but this failed. He remains stuck in comedy.

Jack Hartnell has been at the Edinburgh Festival for nearly ten years, including acting in the La Trattoria Di Segreti (2005), writing and directing an adaptation of Thomas Mann's Faustus (2008), and choreographing the comedy musical A Grave Situation (2010).

Tom Hensby was a founding member of Alcock Improv. During his University years he performed in, directed, and wrote straight plays and comedies, being shortlisted for the Footlights.

Performances

Date Time Venue
4th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
5th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
6th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
7th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
8th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
9th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
10th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
11th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
12th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
13th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
14th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
15th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
16th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
18th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
19th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
20th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
21st Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
22nd Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
23rd Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
24th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
25th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
26th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
27th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves
28th Aug 2011 16:00 Just The Tonic at the Caves

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