St Mungo’s Presents ‘No Laughing Matter’

Stewart began writing and performing as a stand-up on the London comedy club circuit at the age of 20 and in 1990, won the Hackney Empire New Act of The Year award.

Stewart's stand-up tours include Content Provider, Stand-Up Comedian, 90’s Comedian and 41st Best Stand-Up Ever and following their popularity, the BBC2 commissioned his 2009 series, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. This was followed by the stand-up tours, If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One, Carpet Remnant World, and four more series of Comedy Vehicle (the second series of which won a BAFTA and two British Comedy Awards). He has also contributed to various BBC Radio comedy shows, including Fist of Fun and On the Hour and co-created two programmes for BBC 2 with Richard Herring.

Beginning life as underground rapper Doc Brown, Ben Bailey Smith has diversified profoundly, moving into mainstream TV and film acting, stand up, screen writing and children’s books.

He starred in the 2016 Ricky Gervais movie David Brent: Life on the Road, and received huge accolades for a major dramatic role in the ITV1 hit drama Brief Encounters. In 2017 Smith recorded an hour-long stand up special for the BBC which aired in March and toured the world opening for long-time collaborator Ricky Gervais.

Dave's Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Show 2019 nominee Jessica Fostekew is regular host of The Guilty Feminist and appears in BBC sitcoms Motherland and Cuckoo and BAFTA Award-winning drama Three Girls. She’s also in forthcoming feature films: Gavin Hood’s Official Secrets and Michael Winterbottom’s Greed. She writes for 8 out of 10 Cats.

Fostekew also hosts her own podcast 'Hoovering' all about eating, which has over half a million downloads.

Shappi established herself as one of the country’s finest comedians in 2006 with her sell out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. This show lead to the publication of her childhood memoirs, "A Beginner’s Guide To Acting English", her best selling literary debut.

Shappi’s career has taken her to all corners of the globe, she has appeared on countless TV & Radio shows including; Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, QI, Just a Minute & other flagship radio 4 programmes. Shappi has taken part in the iconic television & live show for Amnesty International, The Secret Policeman’s Ball, as well as several series of Live At The Apollo & Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow.

Winner of the 2019 Funniest Joke Of The Fringe, Olaf Falafel is a surrealist comedian and illustrator of very silly children’s books.

As well as finding comedic success onstage with shows such as ‘The Cheese Of Truth’ and ‘Knitting With Maracas’, Falafel has also enjoyed online fame with his short viral videos. These absurdist movies include a croissant-coiffured talking Donald Trump puppet, slices of truth telling cheese being thrown onto newspapers and the Bee Gees hiding in his beard.

The comedy website Chortle affectionately described Falafel as ‘an idiot’ and when he doesn’t have a microphone in his hand you’ll probably find him with a pencil and pad trying to draw something equally idiotic.

Hal has made several appearances on ‘Live at the Apollo’, ‘Have I Got News For You’ and ‘The Royal Variety Performance’ as well as his regular appearances on shows such as ‘Mock the Week’, ‘The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice’ and ‘The Apprentice: You’re Fired’.

On the radio, the second series of his sitcom ‘Hal’ was recently broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and he has released two comedy DVDs, ‘Tough Luvvie’ and ‘Straight Outta Cruttenden.

He has toured the country extensively and, in the last two years, has also taken shows to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and the New Zealand Comedy Festival.