2012 Edinburgh Fringe

More details

Stephen Carlin has earned critical acclaim, accolades and a growing fan-base with his original, insightful writing style and accomplished delivery. His performance takes the audience into the mind of a passionate obsessive. Already a firm favourite of Stewart Lee, who named him as one of the "Ten Best Comedians in the World Ever", and Stephen Merchant, both of whom he supported on their national tours, Carlin is well on the way to becoming the newest addition to Scotland's history of brilliant comedians.

Carlin returns to the festival this year with a new show and new venue: Stephen Carlin: Pandas vs Penguins' goes into the Pleasance Courtyard for the whole month of August. After years of searching, Stephen Carlin has finally solved the answer to life, the universe and everything. For too long humans have been getting it all wrong. We've been arguing and fighting, getting bogged down in all the petty disputes of modern life: men versus women, Scottish versus English, cats versus dogs. But now one man has taken a stand. One man has said "enough of this madness. It doesn't have to be like this. There is a better way." Stephen Carlin has gone in search of new strife, new ways of creating conflict and division in our society. And the answer...? Pandas and Penguins. Yes, it's obvious when you think about it, because when you boil it down every person on this planet is either a Panda or a Penguin. There is just no getting around that fact. It is just the way it is. So as Edinburgh Zoo's real life Penguins and Pandas fight it out for pole position, what about the inner Panda or Penguin within all of us?

What are you? Are you a Panda or are you a Penguin? Perhaps you like the cold weather, hanging out in large groups and balancing round objects on your feet? Have you recently forgotten how to fly but are really good underwater? Then you may well be a Penguin. But perhaps that's not you at all. Maybe you are the cute and "cuddly" type who prefers the indoors, loves to gorge on a limited diet and only has sex twice a year? Then you're a Panda. So whether you are bamboo chomping maniac or a South Pole hogging psycho, let Stephen Carlin unleash the inner Panda or Penguin within you.

TV wise, Stephen has appeared on Edinburgh And Beyond (Paramount Comedy) and Comedy Cuts (ITV). Recent radio appearances include Radio 4 Extra and he has previously appeared on Loose Ends (R4), Shaun Keaveney (6 Music), The Milk Run (R1) and Claudia Winkleman's show (R2), amongst many others. He has written for numerous shows including the forthcoming CBBC show FIT, The Headset Set (Creator and Writer) (2011), The News Quiz (2008-2011) as well as spending a year as an in house comedy writer at BBC Radio Comedy (2008-09).