“I saw some of my favourite comedy acts ever for the first time up at the Edinburgh Fringe (Colin Hoult, Diane Chorley, Lolly Adefope), and they have been blowing my mind ever since!”
WHO: Derek Mitchell
WHAT: “Debut hour of stand-up and characters from the ‘out-and-out hilarious’ (Stage) Derek Mitchell (Ted Lasso), whose online sketches have generated over 250 million views and a dedicated following. Right off the back of a 44-date European tour, the show is about the journey from being an outsider to a sort-of insider, and making sense of all the cultural nonsense and confusion in between. ‘The biggest laughs of the night’ (TheArtsDesk.com). ‘Outstanding’ (Oxford Mail).”
WHERE: Pleasance Courtyard – Baby Grand (Venue 33)
WHEN: 22:50 (60 min)
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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
No! This is my sixth Edinburgh Fringe if you can even believe that! I have always done it in the past as part of either a student group or sketch duo (Horseplay, with Kathy Maniura). This is my first time as a solo act.
The Fringe is special because shows that push the envelope in their form, style and genre are the norm, and they’re the thing that everyone’s most excited to see. That makes it especially exciting for people who like stuff that pushes the envelope. I saw some of my favourite comedy acts ever for the first time up at the Edinburgh Fringe (Colin Hoult, Diane Chorley, Lolly Adefope), and they have been blowing my mind ever since!
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2023 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that the things that make you funny you already have in you, and have always had in you. Anything you write or add to a bit or a show because it’s what you think people will want to be seeing and hearing will eventually have to come right back out, if you want your show to be truthful and good.
Sometimes that might also be part of the process – whittling down ideas to their barest and most essentially funny parts. But I have found consistently in this process that actually just doing stuff that comes second nature to me is what people want to see me do the most. I think I am still actively absorbing this.
Tell us about your show.
My show, Derek Mitchell: Double Dutch, is me doing standup, characters and sketches about some of the things I’ve learned about as an immigrant: Dutch stuff, British stuff, American stuff, accents, politeness, and what it’s like being stuck in between. I wrote it and have been developing it across work-in-progress shows around the EU and the UK since February.
I’m working with John-Luke Roberts on the show – he’s directing it – and my Dutch husband Tim has also helped me develop it from the beginning. Impatient are producing it up at Pleasance at the Fringe, which will be its premiere in the UK. Impatient came and saw a very sloppy preview of my other show, an alt character hour called Goblin, back in January and they very kindly believed in me enough to put me on their roster with Double Dutch.
If people enjoy it in Edinburgh, I hope to take it around the UK, and I’ll continue to tour it around the EU and beyond!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
You should see so many peoples’ shows! My friends Katie Norris, Amy Annette, Jin Hao Li, Sarah Roberts, Jo Griffin, Amy Mason, Lara Ricote, Chris Hall, Zoe Brownstone and Erika Ehler are all going to have shows that will make you pee in your pants from laughing. And there are SO many more that I have not named here in this micro, momentary brain dump!
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