Mark Simmons brings his one-liner stand-up show 'Jest to Impress' to Monkey Barrel Comedy in Edinburgh.
Mark Simmons returns to Monkey Barrel Comedy on Monday 23 November with Jest to Impress, a new show built around the one-liner. If you've seen him before, you'll know the format: a relentless stream of short, punchy gags delivered one after another, with very little air in between. This is a new tour, so the material is fresh.
Simmons has made a name for himself as a one-liner specialist, and that's exactly what he's leaning into here. He pairs his carefully crafted jokes with off-the-cuff bits built from random audience suggestions, so the set changes slightly from night to night. It's a specific kind of comedy — fast, lean, and focused on the punchline rather than the story.
He's not new to the Fringe circuit. He won Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe in 2024, was named UK Comic of 2022, and picked up the Victoria Wood Panel Prize at the Fringe in 2023. His debut tour was a sell-out that topped 200 dates and stretched over two years across the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Outside the live circuit, he's appeared on Mock the Week, BT Sport and ITV.
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Beyond the stage, he hosts the podcast Jokes with Mark Simmons, where comics like Gary Delaney, Sarah Millican, Milton Jones and Penn & Teller drop in to talk about jokes they wrote but couldn't quite get to work. It's a good look at the side of comedy that doesn't usually make it to the stage — the failed gags and the process behind them.
Jest to Impress runs at Monkey Barrel Comedy, 9-12 Blair Street in the Old Town, on Monday 23 November. The show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets start from £22.
