Draft:Stuart Laws
British comedian and director (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stuart Richard Walter Laws (born 7 April 1984) is a British comedian, writer, director, producer, and actor. He is the founder of Turtle Canyon Comedy, an independent production company through which he has directed and produced stand-up specials for comedians including James Acaster, Nish Kumar, and Fern Brady, for platforms including HBO, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.[1][2] As a stand-up performer, Laws has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe annually since 2013 and has received critical recognition from publications including The Scotsman, Chortle, and The List.[3][4]
Stuart Laws | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Laws in 2025 | |
| Born | April 7, 1984 Taplow, Berkshire, England |
| Occupations | Comedian, actor, writer, director, producer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | www |
Career
Stand-up comedy
Laws began performing stand-up in the early 2010s, and debuted his first solo Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, Until You Are Dead, in 2013.[5] He has returned to the Fringe annually since, and has also performed at the Leicester Comedy Festival, where he was nominated for Best Show in 2021.[5]
His 2023 Edinburgh show, later filmed as the special Is That Guy Still Going? for 800 Pound Gorilla Media, marked a shift toward more personal material, addressing grief, relationships, and fatherhood.[6] In 2024, he brought Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? to the Fringe, a show exploring his recent autism diagnosis and its effect on his relationships. The show received a four-star review from The Scotsman, which described it as a "deliciously joke-dense" show by "one of the most skilled and likeable comics" at the festival.[3] Chortle gave the show four stars, noting that Laws had taken his comedy "in a more personally honest direction".[4]
Writing, directing and production
Laws founded the production company Turtle Canyon Comedy, through which he writes, directs, and produces comedy specials, sketches, and sitcoms.[2] His directing credits include stand-up specials for several prominent British comedians on major platforms:
- James Acaster: Hecklers Welcome (HBO)[1]
- Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control (Netflix)[7]
- Ivo Graham: Live From Bloomsbury Theatre[8][unreliable source?]
- Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen (Amazon Prime Video)[9]
- Mark Smith Versus the People (BBC Three)
The Debuts
In 2024, Laws created, directed, and narrated the documentary The Debuts, which followed five comedians — Amy Gledhill, Sikisa, Josh Jones, Lily Phillips, and Anthony DeVito — as they prepared for and performed their first full-hour shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.[10] The documentary was covered in The Guardian as part of its reporting on the pressures of the Fringe festival.[11] Laws also wrote a piece for The Scotsman reflecting on what he learned making the film.[12]
Other work
Laws has written for BBC Radio 4.[5] In 2021, he created Grave New World, a comedic mockumentary series about life after the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring an ensemble cast including James Acaster, Harriet Kemsley, and Bobby Mair. The series was profiled in The Guardian.[13] He has also contributed to Channel 4's digital comedy platform Mashed and created the Comedians Beer Mat Flipping Championship.[2]
Personal life
IIn 2024, during the Edinburgh Fringe, Laws was diagnosed with autism, which became a central theme of his subsequent work.[14] He is in a relationship with fellow comedian Chloe Radcliffe.[15]