Tom Stade

Review: Tom Stade Totally Rocks

Among his trademark dark material lie vivid routines on anal sex, a loveless upbringing, and the classic dead baby joke - all delivered with a hyper-aware self-mockery, and a charming childish naivety.

The Spotlight on ... Benjamin Crellin

A New Zealander who has settled on these shores, and a ballsy sociopolitical comedian, Benjamin Crellin is also the support act on Tom Stade's UK tour this year. Here's an introduction ...

Tom Stade: 'I call myself Naughty and Nice...'

Tom Stade admits that he thinks of himself more as a "comedy purist" than a rock-n-roller.

Tom Stade: teenages, Daniel Sloss & Tramadol Nights

Edinburgh-based Canadian Tom Stade is a man who likes to relax. So much so that he called his first Fringe show, And Relax.

Live at the Apollo star Tom Stade totally rocks!

An interview with Tom Stade about his new Fringe shows.

More stand-up comedy in front of the big lit-up logo at the Hammersmith theatre. Hosting proceedings is Mancunian wit and former One Show host Jason Manford, who tells anecdotes about parenting and pokes fun at boy band McFly, who foolishly sit in the front row. Manford also introduces sets by gruff Canadian Tom Stade and gentle Northern Irish observationist Jimeoin, who does an amusing line in avian impressions.

Having recently come back from the Fringe this week I thought to myself: "Do you know what I need? To watch some more stand-up comedy."

BBC Three has been broadcasting a selection of Fringe programmes. One of these is Edinburgh Comedy Fest, hosted by Jon Richardson, featuring a selection of stand-up comedians and musical comedians performing at the Fringe.

Alongside Richardson were Josh Widdicombe, Neil Delamere, Abandoman, Seann Walsh, Mark Watson, Russell Kane, David O'Doherty, Andrew Lawrence, Ron Vaudey, Jimeoin, Tom Stade, Ed Byrne and Shappi Khorsandi. I don't know about you, but to me that seems a bit too much.

This programme only lasted an hour, and there were 14 different acts. On average they performed less than 5 minutes each. Also, as far as I know, Vaudey isn't even performing at the Fringe. What's more, it was not exactly that diverse. Granted there were comedians from abroad (Canadian, Irish, Iranian), but there was only one woman performing and one non-white person performing - and that was the same person.

In this short format, some comedians did come across better than others. Widdicombe, Delamere and O'Doherty got the laughs, while Vaudey seemed to be a bit flat. I think it would've been a better show if there were more episodes that were of a shorter length. And more variety in terms of style of performers and their backgrounds would be nice, too.

The Boy with tape on his Face & Tom Stade

The comics from New Zealand and Canada interview each other.

Tom and The Boy

Tom Stade's surreal interview with/love letter to The Boy With Tape on His Face.

Ben Elton performed his first live stand up in a decade in these Dave specials first shown in October. The so-called "Godfather Of Alternative" has become comedy's embarrassing Dad in recent years, what with We Will Rock You and all, but his routines on rebranding and body piercing in particular show that he's still driven by the same moral sense and sarcastic despair at modern life as ever. Jason Byrne and Canadian Tom Stade guest.