EDINBURGH 2026: Review: PADDY YOUNG: WILL SIR BE LAUGHING ALONE?, Monkey Barrel

When Paddy Young enters the stage at one of his many sold-out performances of this year's Edinburgh Fringe, the atmosphere in the room changes. Is it the hair? Is it the moustache? Is it the fact he’s on the telly? Who knows. One thing is certain though, from the minute Young starts his routine, he already has the entire room in the palm of his hand.

What Paddy decides to do with such control over the audience appears to be just as much of a surprise to the comedian as it is to the crowd themselves. At least, that’s how the SNL UK star presents his latest hour of stand-up comedy.

Appropriately titled, the comedian spends most of his hour wistfully talking into the microphone about how single and lonely he is. Occasionally laughing to mask the pain, it’s a unique set-up which constantly creates an awkward silence, forcing us to laugh along with him to fill in the gaps.

Jumping back and forth from his routine, crowd work, and calling out audience members for the slightest distractions, the line between rehearsed and improvised is blurred so much that it can be hard to tell just how much of the show was written, and how much was made up on the fly. Regardless of the answer, the laughs remain just as consistent throughout.

Delivering all of his gags with the same cadence as his Weekend Update persona, Young rattles off some of the most ingenious lines you’ll ever hear, to the point you’ll wonder how he even came up with them. “She had abs like a full pack of Rennie’s” is a highlight but the best line of the show has to be: “People say it’s hard being a third wheel but nobody has an easier ride than the spare tire.”

Will Sir Be Laughing Alone? Is easily one of the most unique stand-up shows you’ll ever see. Bringing his trademark wit and his eccentric style of comedy to the stage, Paddy Young keeps us laughing from the first minute to the last. By crafting such an unpredictable hour, the comic maintains total control over the audience throughout and shows himself to be a master of his craft. 

Paddy Young: Will Sir Be Laughing Alone? runs at Monkey Barrel until 30 August

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