Expect the unexpected with Jordan Brookes at Cambridge Fringe Festival 2025

If you like your comedy hilariously off-the-wall with a hint of the unexpected, then you should definitely check out Liverpool-born, Surrey-raised comic Jordan Brookes when he appears at this month’s Cambridge Fringe Festival.

The mammoth two-day event runs on Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 May, and Jordan – an Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner in 2019 – is set to perform a work-in-progress show at The Portland Arms on the Saturday.

“It’s a work-in-progress show; it’s a work-in-progress at the Fringe as well, so I’m not aiming for it to be finished ahead of the Fringe,” explains Jordan, speaking to the Cambridge Independent from his home in London.

“Although who knows? It might suddenly take off. That’s the plan… I just want to do stuff that I would want to watch!”

Jordan is a fan of Dutch comedian Hans Teeuwen, an absolute master of the art, who, like Jordan, can be gloriously unpredictable on stage.

“I haven’t watched him in years,” observes Jordan, “but the experience of seeing him stayed with me and still is with me, because of that sense of surprise, I think, and that sense of ‘Oh wow, he’s just going to commit to doing that’ was so inspiring.

“So yes, I think I probably still carry a bit of that in me for sure.”

Jordan, who first came to attention when he won the Welsh Unsigned Comedy Award in 2012, adds: “I saw him at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“I went up to the Edinburgh Fringe, before I’d started doing stand-up, and spent three days just watching stuff.

“At this point I didn’t want to be a stand-up, I hadn’t really thought about it, but I loved comedy and I went to see him on a whim. I was just blown away.

“Then I saw the show again at Leicester Square Theatre and he had a DVD recorded, and I went to the recording of that.

“I was so in love with what he was doing – it was just so confidently odd!

“I think it really taught me a valuable lesson, in that if you want people to invest in the world you’re selling, you have to do it confidently, and you have to do it as though the audience, if they’re not getting it, are at fault.”

Jordan studied animation at university and was very much inspired by stop motion, like Wallace and Gromit and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

He is also a fan of the comedy style of Lee Evans.

“I loved manic, physical stuff – but equally I loved Jack Dee, I loved his timing,” says the friendly comic.

“I think seeing Daniel Kitson drove home the concept of just being theatrically ambitious and telling stories; you don’t necessarily have to do jokes, you can just do lines that are funny.

“I just had an idea of how I would do it and then just did it.”

Asked which comedians he’s looking forward to seeing at this year’s Cambridge Fringe, Jordan says: “I’m working with Lily Phillips, who’s doing a show.

“I think her show’s going to be wonderful – it’s really funny. Annie McGrath I think’s got a great show, Will Rowland is really funny, I really like him.

“Helen Bauer as well – I love Helen, I think she’s one of the funniest people on the planet… I just love the process of seeing people’s shows in development.”

Jordan concludes: “Come and see the show, it’s always really fun. I’m sure there’ll be something in it that’s good and memorable.”

Gigs at the Fringe will take place at four venues in Cambridge, all within a two-minute walk of each other at Mitcham’s Corner: The Portland Arms, Thirsty, The Boathouse, and The Waterman. Advance tickets for each show are just £5.50.

To view the full line-up, visit cambridgefringe.co.uk. For more on Jordan Brookes, go to jordanbrookescomedy.com.