Talent

Alex Kealy

About Alex

Alex Kealy is a stand-up comedian who mixes smart political material with self-deprecation and incisive observations. In his first year of performing, he reached the final of the prestigious So You Think You’re Funny competition and is now a “rising star of the British stand-up scene” (The List).

He has taken six hours of stand-up to the Edinburgh Fringe, the latest being 2024’s The Fear, which was received to packed rooms and critical acclaim. The Daily Telegraph calls him "sharply witty, almost sexily cerebral" while The List raved about his "breakneck pace with surprising turns in eloquent comic’s wonderful new hour" (★★★★). He has toured his last 3 shows, including sold-out appearances at London's Soho Theatre.

He's currently supporting Jack Dee on 50 dates of his nationwide Small World tour.

An in-demand joke writer, Alex has written for shows including Mock The Week (BBC Two), Late Night Mash (Dave), The News Quiz, and The Now Show (both BBC Radio 4), and his comedy has been listed in the top Jokes of the Edinburgh Fringe by The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Independent, iNews, The Scotsmanand The Huffington Post. He has, too, been tipped by The Edinburgh Evening News as one of “5 Comedians To See If You Like James Acaster”.

In radio work, Alex hosts podcast Gig Pigs with Ivo Graham, where they take fellow comedians - including Ed Gamble, Rose Matafeo, Phil Wang and Lou Sanders - to a live music gig and then talk about it. The podcast quickly topped the music podcast charts, and was recommended in The Guardian's Top 10 readers' podcasts ("Ivo Graham and Alex Kealy are immensely good value as hosts, whether meandering off on one of their frequent segues, or geeking out about indie bands in minute detail.")

He’s a regular at the most prestigious clubs on the British circuit, including multiple weekends at The Comedy Store in London, and other live comedy circuit work includes paid 20s for clubs such as Glee, Avalon, Monkey Barrel, Off The Kerb, Brighton Komedia, Little Wander, Top Secret Comedy Club, XS Malarkey (Chortle Award winning club), Up The Creek’s Sunday Special, Group Therapy, The Good Ship, Gaghouse Comedy, Jericho Comedy, Crack Comedy and Olympic Comedy Sessions.

He’s also supported Jack Dee, Shaparak Khorsandi, Zoe Lyons, Ivo Graham, Tom Rosenthal, Pierre Novellie and Kieran Hodgson on their national tours.

“A storming show from the whimsical funnyman” –The Sunday Times

"Sharply witty, almost sexily cerebral…Kealy is going places" ★★★★ - The Daily Telegraph

“Anyone can be funny, but Kealy takes comedy a step further and creates something so technically clever that it's almost beautiful…The Fear is a career-defining show” ★★★★★ - Broadway Baby

"Breakneck pace with surprising turns in eloquent comic’s wonderful new hour" ★★★★ - The List

“Comedy with brains, heart and a killer final punch…intelligent comedy, crafted with care and delivered with sincerity.” ★★★★ - Everything Theatre

“Fresh, insightful, and original...a great hour of cerebral stand-up” ★★★★ - FringeGuru

"A laser mind and a kind heart…contemporary, wise and funny” ★★★★ - Edinburgh Reviews

“A jam-packed, faultless performance that will make you question the meaning of life and the sweet hereafter!” ★★★★EdFringeReview

“A smart, funny writer…a powerhouse, knocking out those perfectly expressed gags” – Chortle (Steve Bennett)

"Excellent...dynamite Interstellar routine which I wish I had written!" - Mark Kermode

"5 comedians to see if you like James Acaster" - Edinburgh Evening News

The Times' Top Jokes of Edinburgh 2024

The Guardian’s Top 10 Jokes of The Edinburgh Fringe 2019

Credits