Leo Kearse
Scottish comedian (born 1976)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leo Kearse (born Leo Hamilton-Kearse, 17 July 1976) is a comedian and broadcaster from Scotland. His stand-up comedy routines have earned him the Scottish Comedian of the Year award and UK Pun Champion. A self-professed right-wing comedian, Kearse regularly appears on GB News.
17 July 1976
Leo Kearse | |
|---|---|
| Born | Leo Hamilton-Kearse 17 July 1976 Penpont, Dumfriesshire, Scotland |
| Education | Wallace Hall |
| Alma mater | University of Stirling |
Background
Kearse was born on 17 July 1976 and grew up in Penpont in Dumfriesshire. He attended Wallace Hall school.[1] After graduating from the University of Stirling, Kearse worked as a criminal intelligence analyst then as a consultant in national security and government.[2]
Comedy
Kearse is known for being a right-wing comedian.[3] He covers anti-woke issues, such as cancel culture and alleged left-wing bias at the BBC.[4][5]
He was a New Comedian Of 2011 finalist at the Leicester Square Theatre[6] and a finalist of the Laughing Horse New Act Of The Year Final 2012.[7] He then won the Chelmsford Comedian of the Year in 2012.[8]
Kearse was crowned the UK Pun Champion in 2015 after he beat off competition from fellow comedians Rob Thomas and reigning champion Darren Walsh.[9] Leo won the contest with such jokes as "I was in hospital last week. I asked the nurse if I could do my own stitches. She said 'suture self' and "Growing up on a farm, my dad was always telling me to use the indoor toilet. But I preferred to go against the grain".[10][11]
After being awarded runner-up in 2016, he won the Scottish Comedian of the Year award in 2017.[12][13][14]
His breakthrough show Right Wing Comedian was cancelled by the Court Hotel venue at the Perth Fringe World in Australia in 2019 after his material was accused of being transphobic.[15][16]
Selected comedy shows
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leo And Stephen Go Down On You | 2012 | With Stephen Bailey |
| Am I Right? | 2013 | |
| The Mangina Funalogs | 2014 | |
| I Can Make You Tory | 2017 | |
| Right-Wing Comedian | 2018 | |
| Transgressive | 2019 | |
| Cancel Culture | 2021 |
Politics
Kearse has criticised the Scottish National Party, Scottish independence and the Scottish Hate Crime Act.[17][18][19]
The latter issue led him to become a Reclaim Party candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Kearse stated that "With wokeness and extreme nationalism seemingly the only acceptable discourses allowed in Scotland these days, I feel now is the right time to stand up and be counted." He stood in Glasgow Pollok held by Humza Yousaf where he received 114 votes (0.3%). He also stood on the Glasgow regional list where he received 174 votes (0.1%)[20][21]
Media
Kearse is a GB News presenter appearing on the Headliners programme and presents his own show Saturday Night Showdown.[22] He also appeared as a guest on Good Morning Britain where he defended the principle of free speech.[23]
He is a co-host of the 3 Speech podcast with fellow comedians Darius Davies and Nico Yearwood.[24]
Kearse has written opinion pieces for The New Zealand Herald, The Independent and The Sun newspapers.[25][26]