Stephen Carlin

Stephen Carlin "ex-communicated" from Free Fringe

Comedian Stephen Carlin says that he has been "fired" from PBH's Free Fringe and has had to find a new home for his show. He posted the following on his Facebook page last night.

Meet Matt Roper - Ed Fringe 2015

I'm a character comedian. I'm doing a show called Routines where the audience gets to see what's happening onstage, backstage and everywhere else. One for the voyeurs. Routines cast includes Dana Alexander, Stephen Carlin and Will Mars.

This week's new live comedy

Previews of Lou Sanders, Mark Watson and Stephen Carlin.

Amnesty Secret Comedy Podcast, episode 10

Host Julian Clary talks to Al Murray about how he came up with the infamous 'pub landlord' sketch in Edinburgh many moons ago. There's stand-up from Carl Donnelly, Stephen Carlin and Al Lubel, then Julian wraps it up with a foot-tapping musical number on why it's not yet cool to be gay.

Edinburgh Fringe interview: Stephen Carlin

Another great underground comic to have gained exposure on Comedy Central's Alternative Comedy Experience, Stephen Carlin is a Fringe veteran who consistently creates shows of honesty and hilarity.

Stephen Carlin: how his gambling addiction inspired him

The Airdrie-born performer, rated by Stewart Lee in his all-time Top Ten stand-up list, reveals he was once a semi-professional gambler. In fact, he became so hooked on betting he was just one bounced cheque away from becoming homeless.

The Alternative Comedy Experience is a show 'curated' by Stewart Lee to showcase what he considers to be some of the most exciting stand-ups around today. As with most undertakings by Lee, this is in no way meant to pander to the general population. The show features a line-up of stand up comedians, cutting between sections of their material and backstage clips with Lee himself interviewing the acts. The line-up is predictably eclectic, this week featuring Andy Zaltzmann, Glenn Wool, Stephen Carlin, Sam Simmons and Maeve Higgins.

It's unlikely that you'll enjoy every stand up on each show, but the mix of styles and material mean that you are almost certain to find something that you will like, and maybe even discover someone you would not have previously considered. In earlier episodes I've greatly enjoyed Tony Law's routines, having previously discounted him based on certain panel show appearances.

Maeve Higgins was my highlight from this week's show, though, with a fantastically understated routine of ideas for films in which she could play the starring role. It was a real disappointment that her segment was so short, and I hope that we see more of her in next week's final episode. Andy Zaltzman and Glenn Wool were funny as usual, although in entirely different ways. Stephen Carlin seemed to rely too heavily on material derived from Scottish stereotypes, and didn't bring anything new to the table that we have not seen in some form or another before.

Unfortunately I just didn't 'get' Sam Simmons. Certain members of the audience seemed to really enjoy his incoherent rambling and energetic delivery, so I can't fault his appearance; this show is meant to push the boundaries of TV stand up, acting as almost an antithesis to shows like Live at The Apollo (which it directly follows on Comedy Central).

The thing I like most about this show, though, is not the acts, nor is it the short interview sections. It's the realism. Although the show is heavily edited, you really get a feel that it is being thoroughly honest; it's in a proper comedy club (it stresses this at the beginning), the audience are up for it but not overly forgiving, and when jokes don't land they don't leave them on the editing room floor.

Interview: Stephen Carlin

Performers don't just stumble across cult comedian status. It takes a certain curious kind of steely determination, a masochistic urge to throw yourself at reticent audiences in dingy clubs again and again, to make it as a stand up. The need for such perseverance is doubled if you're offering something a bit different, material and a persona that has a tendency to divide people. Stephen Carlin is just such a comedian.

Comic vs comic: Phil Nichol and Stephen Carlin

Dads, eh? Phil Nichol, whose father wanted him to go to bible college, talks to Stephen Carlin, whose father was evidently either a master criminal or a top lawyer