Tributes after stand-up comedy director Paul Byrne dies at 44

Tributes have been paid to live comedy director Paul Byrne, who has died at the age of 44.

He worked with the likes of Andrew Maxwell, Phil Nichol, Jamali Maddix, Brendon Burns and Glenn Wool on acclaimed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond

His brother, the comedian Ed Byrne, tweeted today: 'Paul Byrne was a lot of things to a lot of people. A talented comedy director and stand up fixer, he was loved by so many. But to me, he was my pain-in-the-arse little brother and I will miss him so much.'

His agents, Individual Artist Management, confirmed the news in a statement to Chortle, saying: 'After a short illness we are extremely saddened to confirm Paul Byrne has passed away at 44.

'Paul was an exceptional comedy director and worked on breakthrough and seminal shows for some of the UK's finest comedy talent. His knowledge and understanding of stand-up was unsurpassed as was his ability to help comedians discover their voice.

'The list of shows he worked on that were nominated or won awards both in Edinburgh and abroad was extensive, and spoke to his incredible gift at developing talent.

'The list of talent he worked closely with is almost too long to count but they include Andrew Maxwell, Roisin Conaty, Glenn Wool, Catherine Bohart, Milo McCabe, Larry Dean, Sarah Keyworth, Sindhu Vee, Micky Overman and many more.  

He spanned mediums and as a writer he worked on numerous Radio 4 shows including Maxwell Late Agenda, Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler and Andrew Maxwell’s Public Enemies.

'Away from the stage and behind the camera Paul was invaluable on the set of multiple TV shows.  His calm and assured presence and creative input gave talent the confidence they needed to give the best possible performance.

'He was talent wrangler on ITV's Show Me the Funny, as ever, helping the comics on their journey, He was intrinsic to the success of Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit and he worked extensively on Jamali Maddix's Vice show  Hate Thy Neighbour both as a writer and producer.  Hate Thy Neighbour went on to win critical acclaim and be nominated for a Digital Broadcast Award.'

Byrne was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the start of the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013, where comedians including John Bishop, Phill Jupitus and Jason Byrne rallied for a fundraiser.

Comic Ben Target today said he was ‘gutted’ by the news, writing on Twitter: ‘Feeling incredibly grateful I got to know and work with him… He always gave generous and honest advice: he knew funny better than anyone. He was beloved by everyone. I will miss him.’

Tiernan Douieb tweeted: 'This is really really sad news. Paul directed three of my shows & can honestly say I haven’t had that much fun working on anything since. Truly lovely, brilliant man that was nearly always the funniest person in the room at shows, despite being the one backstage.'

Wool added: 'Goodnight KiKi, If laughs were money  we’d have been billionaires Safe travels.'

Omid Djalili tweeted: 'Very sorry to hear of the passing of comedy director Paul Byrne and younger brother of @MrEdByrne - a very dear soul with whom I had many laughs at various Edinburgh festivals.'

Chambers Management, which represents the likes of Jimmy Carr, Joe Lycett and Aisling Bea - and many of the acts who worked with Byrne  wrote on Twitter: 'We are so sad to hear of the passing of our friend, the comedy director Paul Byrne. A wonderful man with a brilliant comedy mind who inspired generation after generation of comics to be as good as they could possibly be. We will miss him dearly & send love to all who knew him'

Published: 12 Feb 2022