Ed Night

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Tuesday 11th March 2025

One random comedian, eight random questions; it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate. This week we welcome a man back blinking under the nation's headlights: it's Ed Night, whose comeback at last year's Edinburgh Fringe was so well received, he's now heading out on tour with that aptly-named show, The Plunge. Was it a high point?

"2024 was a very dynamic year for me," Night recalls. "It had ups and downs, much like a ride in a lift. I was very happy to be back at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in a long time doing loads and loads of gigs and having fun with my friends and paying Edinburgh University a million quid."

It was worth it, as Night used Edinburgh's infinite canvas (a student nightclub up Niddry Street) to unveil the full majesty of his bold/weird/dark materials. Which are also very funny.

"The Plunge is, in my opinion, my best show yet," he says. "If it isn't, it's at least the one I enjoy doing the most. I think I was a much more self-conscious comedian when I was younger. I was scared of bombing and I was much more anxious about things like my career trajectory and stuff like that. I didn't have it.

"When the pandemic arrived, I found out that you can't spend hypothetical career trajectories, and even worse, gigs went away. Since they came back I think I've been taking them for granted less and savouring them much more. More in the moment. More locked in."

His national lock-ins begin in May. But for now, Ed Night, your Random 8 await.

What was your childhood career dream?

Variously: train driver, blues musician, chef. When I was about 13 me and one of my best friends at school got really into the TV show Scrubs and thought we wanted to be doctors. I told my grandad this and he took me to get a scalpel from a local medical supply shop that a distant relative of ours worked in and then he took me to the butcher in Tooting to get loads of offcuts.

I remember getting a sheep's eyes and a big liver, I can't remember the rest. We carried them back to his flat in a wet plastic bag and I sat down on the floor and started sort of messing about with them while he watched on. I realised quite quickly that I didn't actually want to be a doctor, but I did my best at dissecting these sheep eyes because I didn't want my grandad to be disappointed.

Which place you've visited was the biggest anti-climax?

Another comic and I were recently gigging together in Bury St Edmunds. We were really excited about visiting the Greene King brewery and going to St Edmundsbury Cathedral to see the Magna Carta. When we arrived the brewery was closed and, although the Cathedral was stunning, the Magna Carta hadn't been there for about 10 years.

Is there a book - or film, or album - that changed your life?

Books, films, and albums change my life on a weekly basis. Sometimes one changes my life and the next one changes it back. Ikiru is a film that I can't ever stop thinking about.

Recently Ulysses changed my life. I haven't finished it yet and I read it so infrequently that I can't really remember what's going on, but I'm reading it in a book club with my partner and her aunt and when we had our last meeting it was my turn to cook. I wanted to pull out all the stops so I made this ox cheek recipe that was a real hit and is sure to remain in my recipe book. I have James Joyce to thank for that.

What's the worst thing you ever bought a ticket for?

My partner and I once got evening tickets to the John Soane museum house. It's this old famous architect's townhouse in the middle of London that's been maintained for public visitation with all the stuff he collected over his lifetime - books, masterworks of art, antiques, all that. Hogarths and shit I think - we didn't know anything about it before we went.

We got ourselves done up, met at the house, and were told that each ticket came with a free drink. We went upstairs to a room that had a trestle table with a few beers and glasses of wine and that laid on. It was just sort of a break room, nothing of historical interest or chairs or anything in there. Just this bar table.

We got our free drink and chatted by the window for a bit and then asked them if we could have another one (each) and they said no but you can buy as many as you like. So we got a few more drinks and had a laugh by the window for a bit longer. This pattern went on until an intercom announcement told everyone that the place was closing in about five minutes.

So we went downstairs and ran around glancing at as many of the exhibits as we could in three to four minutes. Most of them had been closed or put away. Not the worst thing I've ever bought a ticket for by any means - it was an evening well spent - but I can't say in truth that I saw or learned about a single thing that the ticket was for.

Ever met a particularly great or awful famous person?

I'll tell you about a time a famous person met me. I skipped school on the day of my 18th birthday and decided to go and knock about in Central London and see what was going on. My friend who was a year older and had already left school was working in John Lewis so I went there and hung out with him by the toasters for a bit.

I sat on a bench in St James's park and had a smoke and watched the geese and ducks and pelicans for a while. I think I may have even gone to the pub but I can't remember. Anyway, as I was mooching around I looked through the window of a Caffe Nero and locked eyes with Jude Law as he was eating.

I stopped dead in my tracks and just started laughing to myself there in the street, and then walked away after a few seconds. I suppose I was just overwhelmed at what a brilliant birthday I was having. The exchange must have been very odd from his perspective.

What's the worst journey you ever went on?

I actually enjoy most of my journeys. I'm struggling to think of a journey I can honestly tell you was the worst. I even opened Google Maps and moved it around to different places to try and dislodge a loose memory of a bad journey, but by and large all the ones I can think of, even the extremely inconvenient ones, have had something to like about them.

As a teenager I once fell off a wall. I caught my foot trying a parkour trick and landed directly on my head, knocking myself out for a while. That was only a short journey, about 10 feet, but I couldn't read or write for about a month and the doctor said it was a miracle I didn't burst my head like a melon so it was a pretty bad journey all told.

Which historical figure should get more attention?

Skiffle music is a historic sound that should get more attention. Unfortunately it was completely overshadowed by rock n roll. I think it's basically like proto-rock but with washboards and spoons and old pianos involved. The fact that I don't really know what it is and am unable to name any skiffle musicians tells you all you need to know about the fact that it needs more attention.

The weirdest thing you ever saw?

Saw a crab's leg on the ground recently. No sign of the rest of it yet.

Ed Night: The Plunge is on tour from May 7. Tickets