one4review | On 18, Aug 2026

Irishman Ryan Cullen is back with a brand new show, and he’s taking no prisoners, with a line about dating a celebrity that will divide his crowd. The laughter is raucous; they pass with flying colours. And we are off to the races.

There are so many setup-and-bait jokes that he’s making this look easy. A Despicable Me joke that levels the room, Alien abductions and American warmongers all come with clarity and precision. He is like the Ramones of comedy, as in, if one cutting barb doesn’t connect, there will be another one along which will kill, and trust me, very few fail.

Crowd work is a strength: finding foreigners and playing with them during the routine, like a cat with a mouse. But where he comes into his own is in the longer pieces, on racism, colonialism, brushes with cancelled comedians and his housing situation. He knows exactly when to play the winning card.

In the end, Cullen has produced his strongest set in years, and when he’s this good, no one in the UK can touch him.

****

The Studio at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Niddry Street)
Until 30 Aug 21:15