Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

He’s technically a nepo baby, but if you think that means Elliot Steel’s life is a bed of roses, he’s here to disabuse you.

Not only is he still living with his dad Mark at 27, but he’s having a major crisis of identity and, yes, mental health. Nothing new among the delicate, artsy types of the Edinburgh Fringe, but Steel’s a tough, cage-fighting bloke’s bloke from South London whose mates have names like ‘Millwall George’.

That gives him a different take on things from most middle-class comedians, as he comes to realise that maybe the codified violence of mixed martial arts isn’t the most healthy substitute for dealing with his tightly suppressed emotions. But chatting about feelings doesn’t necessarily sit easily with the lads, or himself.

This is half the serious content underpinning the show, but it’s mined for laughs. Steel finds a lot of comedy material in the gap between what he is and what he wants to be and the environmental factors which make it hard for him to achieve that.

That gap also applies to his politics, a left-wing outlook not always fully aligned with the most ‘woke’ doctrines. Steel has a pretty dark sense of humour for starters, and there are more than a couple of edgy jokes here, naughty but just the right side of acceptable.

Rough diamond Steel previously dated an upper-middle class girl, which provides plenty of opportunity for culture-clash jokes, especially with their very different ideas of what constitutes a good time. He’s as self-effacing about his lack of sophistication as he is teasing about her privilege.

However, when he started to question his sexuality – again not something that always comes naturally to geezers like him – her liberalism and her airs and graces vanished in a flash.

The second serious strand of the show is his dad’s health. As you probably know, Mark Steel was diagnosed with throat cancer last year, which spread to the lymph glands. Now back on his feet, the treatment was more gruelling than reported, as Elliot describes with honesty. 

The experience has effectively given him a ‘dead dad show’ without the need to lose his father, forcing him to contemplate their relationship defined more by being mates who are both comedians than a heartfelt connection. This proves to be an emotionally rich section of the show as Elliot is growing more attuned to his feelings than before.

His storytelling is impressive and while the laugh rate eases up, you’re too engrossed to notice. But then, of course, he will cut any sentimentality down with a strong gag, pulling us back to the fact this is a comedy show, and that he’s a assured practitioner who knows what he’s doing.

Review date: 4 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Underbelly Bristo Square