Reading Indie Comedy Festival presents: Darren Harriott

Reading Indie Comedy Festival presents: Darren Harriott

First Black British stand-up nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award

Double Edinburgh Award nominee Darren Harriott’s TV includes, Dancing on Ice, co-host of Love Island: Aftersun, Britain’s Best Takeaway with Sara Cox, British as Folk, host of Live at the Apollo and Dog Ate My Homework, team captain on four series of Guessable and series regular on Don’t Hate the Playaz.

Darren’s 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show ‘Roadman‘ received **** from Mail on Sunday, The Skinny, EdFest Magazine and was named ‘Pick of the Fringe’ by The Guardian and The Evening Standard.

He regularly co-hosts the comedy night, You Dress Funny, with Rachel Fairburn, a show where comedians have to perform in outrageous costumes.

Other TV includes: The Wheel, Outsiders (Dave), The Last Leg, Backstage with Katherine Ryan, All Star Games for Comic Relief, Richard Osman’s House of Games, The Real Dirty Dancing, Apocalypse WOW, Celebrity Karaoke Club, BBC Funny Festival Live, Question Team, Undeniable, As Yet Untitled, Ghost Bus Tours, Hey Tracey, Comedy Games Night, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Apprentice You’re Fired, Great British Bake Off Extra Slice, Catchpoint for Sport Relief, University Challenge for Comic Relief, CelebAbility, Stand Up and Sketch, Ultimate Worrier, Celebrity Mastermind, Celebrity Pointless, Dave Gorman’s Terms and Conditions Apply, Dave’s Comedian’s Against Living Miserably, Comedy Central Stand Up Special, Roast Battle, Mock the Week, Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, Hypothetical, Russell Howard’s Stand Up Central, Most Ridiculous and The Comedy Bus.

On radio Darren has had two BBC Radio 4 series Black Label, which covered his time as a teenager in gangs, and the second series Red Label came out over the summer. He has hosted Newsjack Unplugged and the Radio 4 Summer Festival. Other radio appearances includes The News Quiz, The Now Show, Fighting Talk and Best of the Fest. Podcasts include Shame is Delicious, Obsessed with Peaky Blinders, The Adam Buxton Podcast, Evil Genius, Dave’s CALM Podcast, Griefcast, Susan Calman’s Mrs Brightside, and Wheel of Misfortune.

Originally from Birmingham, and now living in London, before getting into comedy he was a security guard for over five years. His debut Edinburgh show Defiant transferred to The Melbourne Festival and The Soho Theatre, he toured the UK in 2018 with Visceral, and in 2019/20 with Good Heart Yute.

Darren is a self confessed fitness junkie who is regularly in the gym, he loves fashion, and Kanye West (his chosen specialist subject in Celebrity Mastermind). He is a keen sports fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts plus a love of the Worlds Strongest Man competitions.

Festival pass: £40

Lineup subject to change. Timings may changes slightly as we finalise the festival schedule.