Last year, Alex Kealy performed his new show The Fear at Edinburgh Fringe, and he is currently touring with the show with dates across the UK including this month at Bath (Thursday 3rd), Maidenhead (Saturday 12th), Edinburgh (Saturday 26th) and Komedia in Brighton (Tuesday 29th), and he will continue touring, with the final date being Thursday 17th July in Leeds. Over his comedy career so far, Alex has supported fellow comedians including Shaparak Khorsandi, Tom Rosenthal, Kieran Hodgson and, most recently, Jack Dee, and he co-hosts the podcast Gig Pigs with Ivo Graham. Alex also writes for a number of shows, such as Mock the Week, The News Quiz and The Now Show. Speaking to us, Alex told us about touring with his current show The Fear, his podcast Gig Pigs and writing for shows including Mock the Week.

Can you tell us about your current show The Fear, which you are taking on a UK Tour?

It’s a stand-up show which I first took to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 and I had such a blast (plus great audiences and glowing reviews) that I wanted to take it around the country.

How did you come up with the idea for The Fear and how long has it been in the making?

I actually conceived it as this show about the socio-political nature of fear – what is it, how does it affect human societies, can it sometimes be necessary or even beneficial – but in the end it became a much more personal show about anxiety and my relationship with it.

What have you enjoyed most about writing The Fear and how different was it to write to your previous shows?

I think I communicate much more directly compared to previous shows, and that’s been really exciting. I think I’ve always been a strong joke-writer but have maybe hidden behind those jokes rather than exposed myself (metaphorically, not literally, there’s been quite enough of that from male comedians thankyouverymuch) to the audience and that’s been really invigorating.

The Fear heads to Komedia in Brighton on Tuesday 29th April, and will be playing at further venues including Portsmouth Guildhall and Maltings Theatre (St Albans); how do you find the experience taking your comedy shows to different audiences around the UK?

It’s a great excuse to travel around the country – largely the show I’m performing is similar from place to place, but each audience differs. I generally find Brighton audiences, for instance, to be smart, comedy-savvy, good-looking, kind, polite, willing to help the elderly cross the road and great judges of character. Will you buy a ticket now?

Who do you think The Fear will appeal to, and what do you hope audiences will take from the show?

A funny and smart night out? I think there are a few interesting points about anxiety but in general my aim is to just make you laugh a lot, and the show does that (I’m biased but it’s what I believe).

How did the run go at Edinburgh Fringe last year and what was it like seeing the response there?

Edinburgh went really well – full and fun audiences. I feel very lucky to perform at Monkey Barrel who’ve got great staff, atmospheric venues and comedy-savvy audiences, all with a fair deal for performer and promoter alike.

Having performed at Edinburgh Fringe numerous times in previous years, what is the festival like to perform at?

I always love doing the Fringe in August; performing the show is always fun, it’s finishing writing it in June and July that is awful. “It’s 36 degrees centigrade outside and my friends are going to go the lido before some beers: I don’t want to drive to [name of town redacted] so I can try a new callback at a preview”.

You have supported Shaparak Khorsandi, Tom Rosenthal, Kieran Hodgson, and, most recently, Jack Dee on tour, what were these shows like to do?

All really fun, as it’s always a treat in your career to get to play bigger rooms. Each comic’s audience is a bit different from another’s and so you’re working out which bits of your act you can accentuate so that it will work more for their crowd. Very grateful to all of them for having me, and am excited to be able to bring some great support acts for my own tour.

Can you tell us about the Gig Pigs podcast and who do you think will enjoy listening to it?

Gig Pigs is a comedy podcast about music: we take another comedian to a live music gig and then meet up with them anywhere between the next day and several weeks later to talk to them about that gig and their relationship with live music more generally. So the ideal listener sits in the venn diagram of “has opinions about which bands do and do not constitute ‘landfill indie’” and “has a personal ranking of favourite taskmaster contestants”. But probably one of “loves comedy” and “loves music” will more than do.

How did Gig Pigs come about and what is it like co-hosting with fellow comedian Ivo Graham?

Ivo and I have been friends for 21 years (our friendship can drink in America!) and what better way to take your friendship to the next level than to say “this constitutes a parasocial product that’s worth strangers listening to”? Ivo is a total pleasure to work with and the whole thing was his idea, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the excuse to see more gigs in the past 18 months than I have in the 10 years before.

What are some of your favourite highlights from recording for Gig Pigs so far?

Watching Caroline Polachek’s Valentine’s Day set at the Hammersmith Apollo, which fizzed and crackled with album-day-release energy, tied with being forced to eat a solo Nando’s in the concourse of the O2 as we’d forgotten to buy the correct number of tickets for Kendrick Lamar, one of the greatest artists of his generation.

What is it like writing for shows such as Mock the Week, The News Quiz and The Now Show?

It’s the dream, I truly just love jokes. They’re great and I love writing for shows (although two out of three of those are very much RIP) which value them, and not just persona and vibes (which are important too, yes yes, but jokes are great).

Where does your love of comedy come from and how did you get into it?

Some combination of boarding school, Wikipedia, The Simpsons, early childhood friendships and Radio 4 being played around the house.

Do you have any favourite comedians/comedy shows to watch?

For shows, some combo of Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Hacks. For live comedy shows, Tim Key, Sarah Kendall, Pierre Novellie and Ahir Shah.

How do you like to spend your time away from your comedy career?

Typing “hollowed-out volcanoes affordable my area” into Zoopla to better help me plot world domination.

The Fear is currently on tour and stops at Brighton Komedia on 29th April, tickets via https://www.komedia.co.uk/shows/alex-kealy-the-fear/

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www.alexkealy.com