one4review | On 09, Aug 2025

There have been over 500 episodes of Stuart Goldsmith’s The Comedian’s Comedian podcast. Luke McQueen has yet to be invited on as a guest. In his 2025 Fringe show, he takes matters into his own hands. Through the use of AI and a mildly unsettling mannequin stand-in as Stuart Goldsmith, McQueen conducts an interview to reveal the secret behind his own genius. 

For all the debate about using AI for creating art, technology is incorporated in such an inventive way to make a comedy show which feels creative and original. Referred to often within this hour is his lack of mainstream success compared to his peers due to his alternative comedy style, him suggesting to the pseudo Goldsmith that this is the consequence of being a real artist. It is true that McQueen could be a somewhat polarising comic, his persona often antagonistic and becoming ever more unhinged throughout the course of the hour. His material fully indulges in the absurd and erratic. Despite teetering this line, McQueen is a charismatic figure, and the full house in the Jack Dome on Wednesday night was absolutely receptive to his madness, delighting in the escalation of events and his complete unravelling.

It is utterly impossible to guess what will happen next in this show such is its absurdity and originality, nor would any attempt at summarising its content fully do it justice – it simply has to be seen. While unpredictable, it is not disorganised; the narrative build of the show is clearly well-crafted and intentional. Such singularity means the real Stuart Goldsmith might just have to relent one day and invite him on the podcast.

****

Reviewed by Niamh O’Hara

Pleasance Dome – Jack Dome

21.40 (1hr)

Until 24 Aug (not 13)