Marjolein Robertson picks her comedy favourites
Marjolein Robertson is again on the Edinburgh Fringe with Lein, the third a part of her trilogy combining private story with Sheltand mythology. Right here she picks her Good Playlist of comedy favourites.
Outrageous Fortune
That is truly a drama comedy – a Kiwi present that ran from 2005 to 2011 – and it’s my favorite present of all time. It’s the mix of humour and darkish that makes it so reasonable.
As a heads-up, there are positively moments and phrase decisions that haven’t aged nicely, but in addition, this can be a present the place characters will not be excellent, usually closely flawed.
The very premise of the present is that it’s a household of profession criminals attempting to go straight and failing spectacularly, usually on function. I’ve by no means seen earlier than a present that when one thing tough occurs, it sticks, it grates at a personality’s soul. It’s so good. And above all. It’s so humorous.
Michelle Wolf: It’s Nice To Be Right here
My favorite comic. She’s unimaginable. Hilarious and fast. She is the GOAT. She really is.
And if you wish to see her mastery of writing and supply, watch her speech on the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2018 the place she completely destroyed Trump and his administration. She provides it to them. They hate it. The room turns towards her. However her supply continues to slap.
The Younger Ones
After watching this, I couldn’t wait to go to uni to set hearth to my flatmate’s beds, tear by way of the partitions on a wrecking ball and kick the pinnacle of an opponent on College Problem.
Genuinely began watching this once I didn’t realise what surreal was. I used to be younger, was used to cartoons. Then I used to be allowed to remain up and watch this and I believed all TV could be like this. How boring different exhibits appear.
Enjoyable reality: each episode they’ve a musical visitor and you may usually assume ‘why’? Properly the stunts they needed of their present have been so costly the realised in the event that they proposed this present as a spread present, fairly than sitcom, they may get a a lot greater finances. So they simply added a musical act in each episode to tick that field. There’s all the time a approach spherical for more cash. More cash to destroy your personal set.
Limmy’s Present
Certainly one of my favorite pastimes is exhibiting this to folks outwith Scotland. It’s universally humorous. But additionally, generally, deeply disturbing. And it’s nice to look at the confusion on their faces.
I bear in mind once I was a scholar in Edinburgh, sitting on the sofa in my flat subsequent to a woman who was visiting from England. She had simply arrived that night time and joined me to look at telly. It was Limmy’s Present and one sketch from this present of a nonce simply staring on the digicam. Until it cuts to Limmy shouting ‘beast’. I’ll always remember the look of concern in that lady’s eyes.
[That clip’s not online, so here’s another]
Reside At The Apollo
I used to be actually starved of watching common stand-up gigs when dwelling in Shetland so this was my lifeline of seeing comedians. Selecting that is additionally an excellent approach to give a nod to plenty of comedians in a single go (it could have been even cleverer if I hadn’t simply written that bit highlighting what I’ve achieved right here).
I lived off the units on this. And there was all the time the joy of discovering one thing new. I’ll always remember me and my sister truly on the ground laughing at Katherine Ryan’s first look. This was the lifeline for comedy I clung onto for years.
A therapist
Not for why you assume. It’s not for remedy.
It’s as a result of each time I’ve ever spoken to a therapist they’ve inspired me to speak about traumatic and harrowing conditions and I’m like: ‘OMG this can be a goldmine for stand-up.’
They usually’re like, ‘No Marjolein you want to proceed and heal’ And I’m like: ‘No you’re too costly and if I heal an excessive amount of I gained’t desperately want the adoration of strangers and thus cease doing stand-up.’
There’s actually a superb line to how a lot remedy I can should mine for gold after which cease earlier than I’m completely happy sufficient to stop.
• Marjolein Robertson: Lein is on at Pleasance Dome at 8.20pm in the course of the Edinburgh Fringe
Revealed: 10 Aug 2025
