one4review | On 09, Aug 2026

It is day one. His first show at Fringe 2026. Some people I would never go and see this early, however Ian Stone is someone I will. He is always a safe pair of hands and guaranteed to provide an hour of top notch comedy. And I was not alone. The large venue was packed out with queues round the block.

Stone greets one and all, settles them down and warms up the crowd with the definition of plebs and examples of past PMs. He has 50 prepared questions about how we, the plebs, can maybe find a solution that our esteemed politicians cannot. Involving the audience with calling out numbers, he runs through a selection of his questions, discusses the issued raised and notes down possible solutions; each and every one providing gales of laughter from the get-go.

The hour in his hand passes way too quickly. He is a consummate pro, a hugely erudite talker and above all an extremely funny man. Ian has been a regular Fringe visitor for more than 20 years now and I have seen him countless times. Go see him. You should not miss out.

As part of the Laughing Horse Free Festival, it is free to get in, but the bucket collection at the end is there for donations. Considering the prices of other (often less talented) performers, don’t be mean with your contributions.

5 *****
Reviewed by Geoff
Laughing Horse at Counting House Ballroom
16.00 to 17.00
Until 30th Aug