The curtain begins to fall on 2025, I will be quite glad when that calendar date turns in a few hours.
My life, as it has been for the last 16 years, can be split evenly between comedy and real life. It has been a decent year on the comedy front, earning the most I have ever done from this ridiculous pursuit.
I know this for certain because I have been in such high demand back home over the Christmas period that I have not only completed my self-assessment tax return for 2024-25, but also filled in the majority of the 2025-26 return.
This lack of social activity is in part due to an allergic reaction to a shampoo at my mum’s house that has left much of my body covered in a rash, with my forehead resembling an acne-riddled teenager that I have not been since 1997-99.
Back to comedy, I had a great Edinburgh Fringe in a tough year that will forever be associated with Oasis. It was hard work. I had to hire daily flyerers for the first time ever and started the fringe with a show written at the last-minute, but it all got to where I wanted pretty quickly. I had always wanted to do a full-run in The Stand and had one of my best ever runs at Edinburgh. I did not want to return to the real world.
I also had my first-ever corporate booking during the fringe. It went much better than expected, and I am exploring ways to get more bookings of this kind.
My two Christmas shows in Edinburgh were both good fun, but had smaller audiences than I would like. I had 21 in for the first show and 24 in for the second. Getting an audience for shows outside of festivals is always more challenging, especially when that festival is the Edinburgh Fringe, and you don’t have a daily influx of people actively looking for shows to see.
It really highlighted that I need to build up my social media following if I want to sell more tickets for shows outside of festivals. This is something I have actively avoided doing, as it’s not a healthy world to live in. Unfortunately, it is the world that we live in, and needs must.
Still, my shows raised more than £100 and 24kg of food donations for food banks in Edinburgh. And for the first time ever, someone actually came back the next day, remembered the answers and won the quiz with a record score. He had a different team name and sat in a different seat, which is my excuse for not spotting it. That said, I would have allowed it, as everyone has the opportunity to do the same thing and pay to see my show twice.
Also in December, I ticked something that had been on my list for about 15 years and was booked for a Saturday at Downstairs at the King’s Head.
Shafesbury Fringe in July is quickly becoming one of my favourite dates in the comedy calendar, and I will be returning next year. I also returned to Brighton Fringe after 12 years, with another show confirmed for 17 May 2026 in a bigger venue.
Outside of gigs, the course I did at the Central School of Speech and Drama has given me the skills I need to ensure that my throat doesn’t close up on stage again, which has proven the case all year, and I have not had to resort to throat lozenges to get me through shows.
Another notable thing this year was finally doing a podcast. Following Through has been so much fun with my good pal, Siobhan Dodd. We have had more than 5,000 downloads this year, which I consider to be a strong achievement considering we have no production company or marketing team behind it. It is just us two. I am looking forward to recording Season 3 in January.
As I alluded to earlier, the positives and achievements from this year are overshadowed by something that happened in real-life. The worst thing that happened this year unexpected loss of my dog in June. It came completely out of the blue. She was 12 years and eight months and going strong, but then was suddenly paralysed one morning and there was nothing the vet could do. What made it harder was that I was in Amsterdam when it all happened and said my goodbyes via video call. Dog grief hurts like nothing else. This has been my first ever Christmas without a dog and it has definitely been a sadder one. My main life goal now is to be able to afford a house with a garden so I can get a dog and grow my own veg. I hope this won’t be too far away.
It feels ridiculous to write 2026, but that is the world we live in. I do not know where I will be writing this entry next year, as the family home of 41 years will be sold one way or another in the next six months. I am also intending to get my flat on the market in January. So, I will end 2025 with the words that a wise man once said: “I don’t know where I’m going, but I sure know where I’ve been…”