Ian Smith (Live at The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee 2023) returns to the Edinburgh Fringe before going out on a UK tour with his new show, Foot Spa Half Empty, another hour of shouting into the wind about everything he’s stressed about – big or small. Only this time the wind answers back.

Ian’s lived in London as long as he has in the North of England and is trying to keep hold of his Northern identity while also wrestling with his slow creep towards becoming middle-class and the stresses that brings.

But Ian hasn’t changed completely – he’s still on a quest to de-stress and is constantly getting it wrong – whether that’s trying any bizarre method of relaxation he can find, like cryotherapy and cow-hugging, or taking the relaxing hobby of doing jigsaws with his girlfriend too far by entering a competitive speed jigsaw event together. Then, when a fertility test brings back some genuinely stressful results, Ian realises he has to try harder than ever to do all the right things and relax, but of course he’s willing to try some of the weirder stuff too, like ordering a fertility magic spell from Amazon.

‘An outstanding and stressed-out hour of stand-up.’
★★★★ Fest

Ian Smith is a multi-award-winning comedian and co-host of the Northern News podcast – as seen on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You (BBC), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV) and Comedy Central Live. He is a regular on BBC Radio 4, appearing on The News Quiz, The Now Show, Just A Minute and The Unbelievable Truth. Last year, as well as guest-hosting The News Quiz, Ian had his own Radio 4 stand-up series, Ian Smith is Stressed.

Ian’s 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show Crushing was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, a Chortle Award for Best Show, shortlisted for the (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Award and was runner-up in Next Up’s Biggest Award in Comedy. It was named as one of The Guardian’s Top 10 Comedy Shows of 2023, and one of British Comedy Guide’s Top 50 Shows of 2023 and ranked by then as among the Best Reviewed Edinburgh Fringe Shows of 2023. His sold-out run transferred to Soho Theatre, followed by a UK tour and run at New Zealand Comedy Festival in 2024.

Ian’s previous Fringe shows have received critical acclaim, an Amused Moose Comedy Award, ThreeWeeks Editors’ Award and seen him invited to perform at the prestigious New Zealand, Adelaide, and Melbourne International comedy festivals. In 2015 he was also part of the hugely successful, multi-award-winning Fringe show, Richard Gadd: Waiting for Gaddot.