Stuart Laws
Stuart Laws | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Laws in 2025 | |
| Born | 7 April 1984 Taplow, Berkshire, England |
| Occupation | Comedian |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | www |
Stuart Richard Walter Laws (born 7 April 1984) is a British comedian. He is the founder of Turtle Canyon Comedy, an independent production company through which he has directed and produced stand-up specials for comedians including James Acaster, Nish Kumar and Fern Brady.[1][2] As a stand-up performer, Laws has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe annually since 2013 and has received critical recognition from publications including The Scotsman, Chortle, and The List.[3][4]
Career
[edit]Stand-up comedy
[edit]Laws began performing stand-up in the early 2010s and, in 2013, debuted his first solo Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, Until You Are Dead.[5] He has returned to the Fringe annually since, and has also performed at the Leicester Comedy Festival, where he was nominated for Best Show in 2021.[5]
His 2023 Edinburgh show, later filmed as the special Is That Guy Still Going? for 800 Pound Gorilla Media, marked a shift toward more personal material, addressing grief, relationships and fatherhood.[6] In 2024, he brought Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? to the Fringe, a show exploring his recent autism diagnosis and its effect on his relationships. The show received a four-star review from The Scotsman, which described it as a "deliciously joke-dense" show by "one of the most skilled and likeable comics" at the festival.[3] Chortle gave the show four stars, noting that Laws had taken his comedy "in a more personally honest direction".[4]
Writing, directing and production
[edit]Laws founded the production company Turtle Canyon Comedy.[2] His directing credits include stand-up specials for several British comedians:
- James Acaster: Hecklers Welcome (HBO)[1]
- Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control (Netflix)[7]
- Ivo Graham: Live From Bloomsbury Theatre[8]
- Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen (Amazon Prime Video)[9]
The Debuts
[edit]In 2024, Laws created, directed and narrated the documentary The Debuts, which followed five comedians — Amy Gledhill, Sikisa, Josh Jones, Lily Phillips and Anthony DeVito — as they prepared for and performed their first full-hour shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.[10] The documentary was covered in The Guardian as part of its reporting on the pressures of the Fringe festival.[11] Laws also wrote a piece for The Scotsman reflecting on what he learned making the film.[12]
Other work
[edit]Laws has written for BBC Radio 4.[5] In 2021, he created Grave New World, a comedic mockumentary series about life after the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring an ensemble cast including James Acaster, Harriet Kemsley and Bobby Mair. The series was profiled in The Guardian.[13] He has also contributed to Channel 4's digital comedy platform Mashed and created the Comedians Beer Mat Flipping Championship.[2]
Personal life
[edit]IIn 2024, during the Edinburgh Fringe, Laws was diagnosed with autism, which became a central theme of his subsequent work.[14] He is in a relationship with American comedian Chloe Radcliffe.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Shanfield, Ethan (12 November 2024). "James Acaster Lets the Audience Misbehave in New HBO Comedy Special 'Hecklers Welcome'". Variety. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Stuart Laws on comedy: 'There's an arms race of how vulnerable you can be on stage'". The List. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? | Dan Lees: Vinyl Reflections + more". The Scotsman. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking?". Chortle. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Stuart Laws". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Stuart Laws Opens Up About His New Special, "Is That Guy Still Going?"". 800 Pound Gorilla Media. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control - Apple TV. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2025 – via tv.apple.com.
- ^ "Ivo Graham: Live from Bloomsbury Theatre". IMDb.
- ^ Dessau, Bruce (18 March 2024). "Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen To Air On Netflix". Beyond The Joke. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "The tough reality of a Fringe debut". Chortle. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Healy, Rachael (28 July 2024). "'They're dumb, but I want to win': comedians tell of the highs and lows of the Edinburgh Fringe awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "Stuart Laws on what he learned filming five comedians for a whole Fringe". The Scotsman. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "Grave New World review". The Guardian. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ Hewitt, Phil (26 March 2025). "Comedian Stuart Laws gets personal after autism confirmation". Sussex Express. Retrieved 13 July 2025.