Gamble is also co-writer and co-host of the Peacock and Gamble Podcast, with Ray Peacock, and was named best compere in the 2014 Chortle Awards, where he was also nominated for best club comic.
With Amy Gledhill providing the perfect lead-in
Ed Gamble got a lovely lead-in to his Friday night headline set at Latitude, courtesy of the bubbly, confessional set by Amy Gledhill - embracing silliness to the extent of hiding a squeaky toy in her bra to give her boobs sound effects. Her glee at being on stage was palpable, given she used to work this festival as a litter-picker. But with her joyous performance, she proved the stage is where she deserves to be.
As a nice middle-class boy, Latitude is where Gamble belongs too, even though his love of heavy metal means he’d rather be at Download. The contrast between his bad-boy ambitions and mild-mannered reality has long been a foundation of his stand-up, and he kicked off his set with a story of being a fish out of water when he did gig at Download – and had the crowd literally baying for his blood.
His entire shtick is that things don’t go great for him, which is ironic given how well his career is going – even if he might never be as edgy as he’d like. But he has a deep well of happenstance and poor decisions to draw upon.
The universe dealt him a poor hand when his wedding was called off three times because of Covid – but he’s only got himself to blame for throwing his wife a lockdown hen do when he was the only guest, an excellent story of humiliation, and for honeymooning in Vegas, his idea of Hell. As if to cement his low status, Gamble even managed to be heckled by a 12-year-old child - although he had an amusingly inappropriate comeback.
Some of his more general themes are not uncommon topics for stand-up - the spark going out of marriages, taking a cat as a child substitute – but he always has a stylish way of putting things and acute attention to detail. There are some great analogies and descriptions in his set, wonderfully describing the situations he finds himself in.
A bizarre neighbourhood WhatsApp thread is thus amplified into an epic tale. It might not entirely bear up to the significance Gamble gives it, after revealing that it unlocked his inner gossip-hungry side. But in his world, everything takes on an exaggerated magnitude, and usually that means his own ignominy.
Published: 22 Jul 2023
Ed Gamble is a lovely boy who wants to be a bad boy…
13/02/2022
There are strong Taskmaster vibes to Outsiders, with…
29/09/2021
Ed Gamble’s certainly chosen a distinctive outfit…
29/08/2019
Comedy Central might have had trouble attracting punters…
6/10/2018
Ed Gamble clearly wants everybody to like him, giving…
23/08/2018
Brit(ish) showcase at Montreal's Just For Laughs
A couple of people seemed to dress the part to be in…
29/07/2018
Here’s another comic who has taken a step up…
9/08/2017
Ed Gamble’s one of the best comperes around, a quick…
26/08/2016
Ed Gamble’s enjoyable sophomore solo show is about…
19/08/2015
Greenwich Comedy Festival opening night
By his own admission, last time Stewart Lee played…
25/09/2014
‘Did that happen to you?’ Ed Gamble asks a man…
9/08/2014
Peacock & Gamble: Heart-throbs
This might be the Pleasance Broomcupboard, but Ray…
12/08/2013
It was a line-up many big charity benefits would envy…
30/04/2013
It’s a good job Ray Peacock and Ed Gamble don’t…
10/08/2012
Sean Lock etc at the Greenwich Comedy Festival
The Greenwich Comedy Festival seems to get bigger each…
18/07/2012
The Peacock And Gamble Emergency Broadcast
The premise of Ray Peacock and Ed Gamble’s show…
13/08/2011
Book (2023)
Glutton by Ed Gamble
We do not currently hold contact details for Ed Gamble's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.
We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.
