Preview: Bristol Comedy Garden

Reach for the diary, YouTube this year’s rising comedians and pray for blue skies… yes folks, this month sees the return of Bristol Comedy Garden, five evenings (and one afternoon) of top-notch comedy from some of the circuit’s best stand-ups, brought to you within a festive Big Top in the centre of Queen Square.

Among the funny folk filling the marquee with mirth this year are master surrealist Ross Noble, stand-up and sitcom regular Greg Davies, The Last Leg podcast host and general cult hero Adam Hills, ventriloquist and stand-up nonpareil Nina Conti, Bristol’s very own comedy hero Mark Watson, [pause for breath] the brilliant Sara Pascoe, surreal and synth-toting cult idol David O’Doherty… plus Joe Lycett, Rich Hall, Aisling Bea (pictured top), Nish Kumar, Marcus Brigstocke and a whole host more.

Greg Davies

This year’s five-night event returns to the leafy lawns of Queen Square with a mixed bill of award-winning comedy performed in the Big Top seated venue. Surrounding the tent you’ll find, as usual, a fine array of fantastic bars and a selection of Bristol’s finest street-food vendors providing you with a full-on festival experience in the heart of our fine city.

So, any changes for the 2017 Garden? “It’s our sixth year in Queen Square and we feel pretty established now,” reflects Comedy Garden producer Cass Randolph. “Over the years we’ve tried lots of different things which have allowed the event to evolve naturally. We’ve really hit our stride in the last few years and know that we can offer our audiences a cracking night of entertainment in a stunning setting that combines world-class humour with a full-on festival atmosphere.”

Last year’s Bristol Comedy Garden

Cass and the team have no plans to up sticks and take the Garden anywhere else. “We always love returning to Bristol, there is a natural ease and atmosphere here which has been instrumental in making the Comedy Garden what it is today. Our audiences arrive ready for a good time and our acts sense that too. The Green Room at comedy gigs can often be a tense, nerve-riddled place – but our acts are always super keen to get up on stage and join the buzz. Comedians tend to feed off their audience and so having an up-for-it crowd means we get some really unique shows.”

This year, Cass believes, the Garden has assembled arguably its finest lineup yet. “Ross Noble and Greg Davies have been at the top of our wish list since we started the Comedy Garden back in 2011 and so we’re especially looking forward to seeing them go out in front of the packed-out Big Top crowd. We’ve also got a great selection of female comics joining us this year. Nina Conti, Sara Pascoe and Aisling Bea are firm favourites of ours but we also have fast-rising stars like Kiri Pritchard-Mclean as well as Bristol’s very own Jayde Adams making their Comedy Garden debuts.”

Bristol comic Jayde Adams is among this year’s guests

And is Cass expecting more political comedy than usual in this most fraught of years? “It’s definitely a good time to be a comedian: global politics at the moment provide a constant flood of material for them and so it’s safe to assume that there’ll be a fair few comments made across the shows. However, ultimately the Comedy Garden and its acts are there to provide some much-needed fun, laughter and escapism!”

Bristol Comedy Garden June 14-18. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.bristolcomedygarden.co.uk

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