Since starting stand-up comedy in 2014, Ollie Horn has toured to over 25 countries as a headline act. His 2019 debut show, Pig in Japan, chronicled his four years working in Japan as a minor TV and radio personality. He followed it with Before/After in 2021, was a gag-filled take on body positivity and full of tales Ollie’s time stranded abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year’s Not Much included stories of ten years on the comedy circuit, therapy and meeting his childhood comedy hero.
Now he returns with Comedy for Toxic People (and their friends) as he starts to wonder whether the
reason he hasn’t yet found a wife is because he isn’t toxic enough.
Q&A with Ollie Horn
How does it feel to be returning to Edinburgh Fringe?
This is the fifth time I’ve taken a show up in my own name, so it is starting to feel more like a routine and a ‘proper job’ than ever before. In some ways that’s great—I know what is worth worrying about and what isn’t, and I’m able to be a little more stoic when I receive good news (tickets are selling) and bad news (not enough tickets have sold). I still have precisely the same feelings as I did when I took my first show about wanting to bring something that’s deserving of my audience’s attention and money. Writing a new show doesn’t actually get any easier with experience, it just becomes a different kind of difficult.
What can you tell us about your show and its inspiration?
Many of my previous shows have been heartfelt storytelling shows, and I wanted to make a radical departure from that and see if I could talk about provocative topics like sex and relationships, and surface objectionable takes, while giving the audience a great time.
How do you think audiences will react to the show?
The feedback from previews has been wonderful. Most people seem to get what I’m trying to do, which is essentially be a silly flirt for an hour, and bring the audience on a very funny and naughty journey with me. I like it when the audience are laughing so much they don’t really know what they’re laughing about any more. The best shows feel like that.
How have you been preparing for the festival?
I’ve been very busy! My production company RGB Monster is responsible for over twenty shows this year, so making sure that every one of those shows has the best chance of success is quite a challenge! I’m very keen to use the time I have with my audience as a proper place of play. People come to the Fringe to see something different, and I’m keen to bring them something that can only happen in this special place.
Will you get a chance to enjoy the rest of the festival?
Oh yeah absolutely! Just being around all the shows and bumping into friends is enough to make Edinburgh in August the best place on earth!
Do you have any Fringe anecdotes you can share with us?
In 2019 I ordered a bunch of Japanese fans to promote the show I was doing about my time living in Japan. Due to some mistake that I presumably made, no information was on the fan at all. Just my picture, that wasn’t very big.
It was a very hot year, and people were grateful for them, but it was somewhat demeaning to approach people saying “oh you’ve got my fan!” and them responding, “no it’s mine, that girl just gave it to us – if you want one you could ask her for one.” Didn’t bother trying to sell them a ticket, and left it there.
Ollie Horn: Comedy for Toxic People (and their friends) Hoots@Potterrow until 24 August
