The Edinburgh Fringe Archives – Des Bishop (Grey Matters, 2016)

The Edinburgh Fringe Show, with Ewan Spence

Getting his big break on Irish television in 2004, and then working up the rungs to his first Edinburgh show in 2010. The momentum kept building, including a stage of becoming fluent in Chinese to do a stand-up show in the country, multiple years selling out venues at the Fringe and bringing back something bigger each year.

It’s easy to be an observations comic. It’s hard to be a really good observational comic. Des makes it look easy.

The show flows from childhood to manhood, the challenges of sexual performance and the inevitable event when “Seamus” does not get up to perform. Des likes sex and as the show is drawing to a close he takes us on a sometimes cringe-worthy journey through his sexual encounters and a range of taboo subjects. By talking about it he urges us to talk about it. ‘Grey Matters’ is brilliant and very funny – and an hour in the company of Des Bishop passes all too quickly.

The Edinburgh Reporter.

In my mind’s eye, let’s head to our luxury studio beside a touring theatre company… in real life lets head to a shed next to a double-decker bus with a performing space on the top deck…. Back to 2016, back to the Grey Matters of Des Bishop.

• Find out more about Des at his website desbishop.net, follow him on Twitter, and find links to his podcast on Podnews.

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