Ian Smith Will Embark on Debut Tour CRUSHING Next Month

Multi-award-winning comedian Ian Smith (BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, The Now Show and co-host of the Northern News podcast) is taking his Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show 'Crushing' on tour. It's about stress, love and driving a tank in Slovakia with your hairdresser. Three timeless themes.

Ian is always stressed about something - and now he's getting told off by his jobsworth dentist for grinding his teeth in his sleep, which is stressing him out even more. Some advice to help includes hypnotism, pre-bedtime motivational messages spoken into the mirror and, hardest of all, to just stop being anxious - but is that even possible? Not, it seems, for Ian.

Join Ian for an hour where he explains why he's stressed and what he can and can't do about it - and why that led to him a sensory deprivation floatation tank and travelling to Slovakia and driving a tank over a car with his hairdresser. Come and see the critically acclaimed, multi-award nominated, sell-out Fringe show from Goole's only comedian.

As a stand-up, Ian's seven Edinburgh Fringe shows have received critical acclaim, awards and runs at Soho Theatre and New Zealand Comedy Festival. In 2015, he was also part of the hugely successful Richard Gadd - Waiting for Gaddot. He has been invited to perform as part of Mary Tobin's Best of the Edinburgh Fest shows at Adelaide and Melbourne Comedy Festivals and in 2020 he was also nominated for two Chortle Awards, including Best Compere.

Ian has become a regular guest on The News Quiz and The Now Show and made his debut on Just A Minute in August (BBC Radio 4).

He is the co-host of the Northern News podcast with Amy Gledhill, produced by Plosive (Off Menu) - featured in the Guardian's "best podcasts of the 2023 so far".

Last year, Ian directed Amy's Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominated debut show, The Girl Before The Girl You Marry.

Ian has also had a number of acting roles - starting off as a lead in BBC2 sitcom Popatron. He's also starred alongside Katherine Parkinson in Sky pilot Officially Special and had a leading role in BBC1 drama, The Ark, starring David Threlfall - as well as a various supporting roles including The Emily Atack Show, Siblings, Pls Like and BBC drama The Syndicate.

In 2020, he recorded his first solo Radio 4 show, the comedy-doc Girl Stuck in Basketball Hoop. He has a Radio 4 stand-up series about stress commissioned for 2024.