Please tell us about your brand of comedy- what can audiences expect?

Elliot Steel

Elliot Steel

My style of comedy is anecdotal and observational but I also enjoy just being silly on stage. I think if you're doing stand-up comedy your goal should always be to make the audience laugh.

Which comedians have been your biggest influences since you decided this was your path?

My biggest influences since I started comedy Jim Jeffries and Bill Burr. I'm aware of how ironic that is while answering questions for Female First. That said though one of the best live performers I've seen in the last year was Katherine Ryan so my influences always change.

What random things make you laugh in everyday life?

People accidently messing up always makes me laugh especially if it's a politician or a person of influence. Like when Michelle Obama made her husband swap sweets with her because he was getting on a bit too well with the Danish prime minister.

Please tell us about your best and worst moment on stage so far.

Best moment has to be whenever I first walk on, that's when all the nerves disappear and you can really tell a lot by an audience on how they receive you. My worst moment is when an Islamic extremist held me up by my throat for swearing in front of women. It happened at a gig at a university. About a year and a half after I did the gig it turned out Jihadi John went to that university and a little bit of me can't help but think that I was the first person to be held hostage by Jihadi John.

Do you still get nervous when you do a gig?

Not since I've discovered alcohol

Why is Edinburgh Fringe Festival such a great platform for comedians?

It encourages comedians to push boundaries more but also allows comics to gig up to 7 times a day. Edinburgh really allows me to get better and try old stuff as well as new simultaneously.

Who are you looking forward to seeing as an audience member?

There's so many people I want to see this year. Firstly is a comic who's tearing up the scene called Jamali Maddix. He's been one of my favourites to watch in clubs this last year and his hour will be incredible. Every year I make sure to go see Kai Humphries because he is one of the most natural comics at the fringe. Then there's Milo Mccabe who does character comedy very well which makes for a nice change from conventional stand up. Obviously Bill Burr who I've already mentioned and finally Tom Houghton a really good newcomer is doing a run at the end of the fringe.

What is your advice to aspiring comedians?

Well it may be fairly patronising coming from someone who is only nineteen but always be funny and gig as much as you can. Too many starting comics try to be edgy and dark but learn the basics first; the hardest things to do in stand up are the things that look the easiest. Gigging is the only way to learn this stuff and that's the way to get better. You can write as much as you like but if you never test it on a live audience you'll never know.

What is the oddest heckle you've ever received?

A women tried to give me her number while I was on stage only to realise I wasn't who she thought I was but then asked me to take it anyway on the off chance I bumped into the person who she thought it was. I've never experienced such a vast array of emotions that I did in those two minutes.

What is next for you?

This interview suddenly got philosophical. I'm just going to get back to the gigging in weekend clubs and then work on another Edinburgh show. Comedy is a never-ending cycle. Maybe next year I'll be doing this interview again and come to a realisation that nothing has changed over the last year and time itself is nothing more than a human construct so that we can evaluate how much longer we have to live.

Elliot Steel: Netflix 'n' Steel will be at the Gilded Balloon Counting House West Nicholson Street for tickets go to www.edfringe.com


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