Social media certainly has the potential to democratise the business. In the UK, most comedy stars build their profile through unpaid gigs and taking loss-making shows to the Edinburgh fringe, where a huge PR budget buys a better chance of getting scouted for the coveted career leap to TV. It is an anxiety-inducing cycle that favours those with money and the ability to spend every August splurging it. As comedians realise they can pick up bigger audiences (including comedyâs gatekeepers) online, returning to non-stop live shows might feel pointless.
Comedians Alasdair Beckett-King and Stevie Martin were thinking about this before the pandemic, both making videos for social media after the last Edinburgh fringe in 2019. âEdinburgh is essentially showing people that youâre still doing comedy,â Martin says. Yet she estimated 2,000 people might see her Edinburgh run, while a video could beat that in minutes. She began creating sketches with the actor Lola-Rose Maxwel