Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Britain’s Got Talent finalist Alex Mitchell is in Edinburgh working up a touring show for 2025 about him being queer, disabled, and autistic… ‘as if you couldn’t tell’.

These labels may make him a rarity on primetime ITV, but on the Fringe, where every other comedian is at least one of the above, they have less intrinsic value. 

He says this is the first time he has spoken honestly about some of these issues, particularly his sexuality, which is an empowering breakthrough for him personally, and still seems a little raw. 

But comedically, he cannot hope to offer as good a take on the topics as stand-ups who have been exploring them for years – and in that respect the content feels superficial. Although he does have a witty description of anxiety and depression as ‘the Ant and Dec of mental health’ as they always come as a pair.

And away from these subjects, stories of dating, of still living at home and of overhearing posh kids say pretentious things in supermarkets seem overly familiar.

Nominally, Tics Towards Perfection, is about Mitchell being a perfectionist, driven by the ethos of his father, who used to be a professional sportsman. It’s a loose theme, easy to hang just about any personal anecdotes upon, yet still often forgotten about as the show progresses.

One of the most interesting takes is that he feels his functional neurological disorder – which gives him distinctive tics – means he is denied complete control of his life, making what he initially defines as perfection impossible.

That notwithstanding, he looks at his life and considers he has achieved nothing – save for watching all 238 episodes of Australian Border Force. That’s got to be something given he’s just 24 (and he doesn’t even mention his BGT success at this point).

It’s hard to remember that Mitchell is that young. He looks notably older and exudes the confidence of a much more experienced comedian. Like Tim Renkow he jokes about using his disability to make people feel uncomfortable in the real world, but that definitely doesn’t extend to the audience as he has a natural, friendly energy that makes an easy connection.

Anything he pretends to hate is assumed to be only for comic effect, even Kirstie Allsopp escapes relative unscathed given he didn’t lay into her questionable Tory views

Anecdotes about the Duke Of Edinburgh Award and his lack of concern for the pupils in his care when he was a teacher amuse, while the inside story of the acrobat who was so determined to impress Simon Cowell that he broke his keg on BGT is eye-watering. 

Unfortunately his payoff requires playing a recording that just didn’t get amplified enough in a free fringe room already prone to nose bleed, rendering it all-but inaudible. 

But the overall impression is of a promising comic understandably wanting to capitalise on the huge fillip TV exposure gave him, but overstretched over an hour. Still, six more months til the tour starts. He probably won’t achieve perfection by then, but may have inched a little closer towards it.

Review date: 20 Aug 2024
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Laughing Horse @ Bar 50