“We also don’t really fall into the classic straight man/fall guy double-act dynamic, we’re both as stupid as each other and will do literally anything to get a laugh– which is great when writing an Edinburgh show but slightly inconvenient in our day to day lives.”
WHO: Noah Matthews & Chris Curran
WHAT: “Chris and Noah aren’t real Bishops, but what they lack in divinity they make up for with sensational sketches at a ‘cracking pace’ (Chortle.co.uk). With back-to-back, sold-out Edinburgh Fringe runs under their belt, a British Comedy Guide Video Award nomination and a trip to Leicester Square Theatre’s Sketch-Off semi-final, Bishops launch their debut hour of hilarious sketch comedy. Absurd, riotous and unapologetically funny, watch these burgeoning comics bring ‘all the youthful zing you can hope for’ (Chortle.co.uk) despite only having a year left on their Young Persons Railcard.”
WHERE: Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose – Coorie (Venue 24)
WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
We’ve performed at Edinburgh a few times as students with The Manchester Revue at TheSpaceUK, and we were fortunate enough to get a great response each year. Together we wrote the Revue’s show in our final year, which had a sold-out run at the Fringe, and we continued writing and performing together since graduation. This year is our first time heading to the Fringe as a double act, and if people liked our work with the Revue, they’ll definitely enjoy our debut show, Bishops, at Gilded Balloon.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2022 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
We saw loads of shows in 2022 which really informed what we’re writing now – being exposed to so much new comedy really helped us create our own distinct style of surreal sketches, which which hopefully will result in a room of knee slappers and loud clappers (note this is the only rhyming couplet, so savour it). We also learnt to not overcomplicate it, and that the recipe for a happy and successful fringe is through just creating a show which is as fun to perform as it is to watch– you’re doing it everyday for a month so you may as well enjoy it. But our biggest lesson was probably to make sure we put our new material in front of audiences as often as possible, so we’ve spent the last year relentlessly gigging to find out what was actually good and what was just nonsense that we found funny after going slightly mad in a writing session.
Tell us about your show.
The show was written by us (Noah Matthews & Chris Curran); we met each other making comedy films at university and instantly didn’t hate each other, so have decided to rest any chance of comedic success on each other’s shoulders. Which would add a bit of pressure to the relationship if we didn’t already get on so well. We also don’t really fall into the classic straight man/fall guy double-act dynamic, we’re both as stupid as each other and will do literally anything to get a laugh– which is great when writing an Edinburgh show but slightly inconvenient in our day to day lives.
The show itself? Well, it’s a sketch show! How different can it be? That’s something we’ve also learned writing sketch comedy for over 6 years, a conceptual sketch show doesn’t automatically make it better. We’ve not set Bishops on a spaceship or anything wacky, it’s just a chaotically surreal show about two blokes trying to do their debut show–so no connection to the real us at all… I guess you could say it’s all about how important first impressions are, and what happens when they go wrong. But ultimately it’s an unhinged hour of laugh-out-loud sketch comedy that can’t really be defined or pigeon-holed into one specific style. We began writing it last autumn, and performed extracts on the comedy circuit and got through to Leicester Square Theatre’s Sketch Off Semi-Final before taking a preview to Brighton Fringe where we enjoyed a sold-out show.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Definitely go and check out the shows by The Manchester Revue, Will BF, Dirty Laundry and Pear– they’re all amazing up-and-coming sketch comedians who’s shows never miss a beat. If you want to catch the next generation of alternative comedy you should definitely catch their shows! There’s also some great Fringe staples coming back to Edinburgh who don’t need any introduction (let alone from us) such as Max & Ivan, and Britanick. Also go see Mr Thing at Underbelly, they were the best show we saw at Fringe 22” and totally deserve a wider audience– it’s like a late night chat show on acid, yet also somehow the most wholesome show you’ll ever see.
LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!
INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!
Get Your Coats On 