Interview: Alex Kitson Completes His ‘Yurt Trilogy’ at the Edinburgh Fringe, with ‘Now Look Here’

Award-winning Alex Kitson joins the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the third consecutive year, bringing his latest show Now Look Here to his familiar venue, The Big Yurt at Hoots, completing what he describes as his ‘Yurt Trilogy’!

Following last year’s sold out show This is Water, named one of the best-reviewed performances of the Fringe by British Comedy Guide, and his critically acclaimed 2024 performance as well, Alex is now back with a brand new show. Ahead of this year’s festival, we caught up with him once again to find out what audiences can expect from it.

This is your third year back at the Edinburgh Fringe. What brings you back?

I love doing it, it sort of sets my life up around going back. I’m always trying to be a better comedian, and I think the Fringe really helps with that. You spend a month sort of living like you want to live all the time, with thousands of people all trying to entertain you! I feel much calmer now.

The first time you do a show, there’s such a rush because it’s the culmination of years of doing stand up. But now, in my third hour at the Fringe, I know how things work, and, to a certain extent, the pressure is more just internal.

You just want to be as good as, if not better, than the year before.

I really enjoyed your 2025 show This is Water. It explored perspective and how we can become more aware of the small details that sometimes we ignore in our daily lives. This year your show is Now Look Here. Can you tell us more?

Last year’s show was all about how you view things, while this year’s is about what you choose to look at in a world where there are so many things that capture your attention all the time. It’s sort of a sequel to This is Water, and focuses on what the algorithm is trying to sell you, and the fact that whatever you worship will destroy you.

I’m spending a lot of time blaming the phones, which are ruining my life, and that’s basically what the show is about.

How was the writing process? When did you start thinking about the show?

It started pre-Fringe last year. In my day job, I work with teenagers with ADHD, so the research focuses on the technology’s impact on people’s brains as they’re developing.

The writing process has been sort of a year trying to develop a sincere opinion of mine about it, so it’s been absolute pure madness. The last couple of weeks I’ve finally got an ending and I think it’s been worth it in the end.

Finding my way through it hasn’t been easy, early on I realised that saying ‘phones are bad’ isn’t interesting enough, especially now that it’s not an uncovered issue. You see it reflected in government policies, such as the under-16 social ban in Australia, as well as in cultural things like Toy Story 5.

It’s almost the only political issue that everyone agrees on! [laughs]. So it definitely required a bit more of soul searching.

Last year you told us how stressful and tricky it was to manage everything on your own, without a production company or an agent, while also juggling your day job. Has anything changed since then?

Yes, a few things changed. I don’t have a day job anymore, which is good because I’ve got more time; a production company approached me and wants to produce this show this year, which is very exciting. With the extra time, I also got the opportunity to write a book, which I hope to sell at the Fringe this year.

That’s exciting, congratulations! This year you’re returning to the iconic Big Yurt at Potterrow, which felt quite intimate and cosy. How do you feel about coming back to that venue?

I love it! I think everyone there does a great job of creating a sustainable and manageable show. I’m lucky that I don’t need masses of tech or a theatre space, I can just have a microphone and the setup is great. I’m not a big name, I’ve not done TV, so if I’m able to fill up a room it will be a nice time. And I also like the idea of doing a Yurt Trilogy!

What would you say to the people who came to your previous shows and want to come see you again this year?

I’ve always been so lucky that people have come back to my shows, which is lovely. That is why I love to return to Edinburgh every year. I don’t know if I mentioned this already, but I live with another comedian, Ted Milligan.

In 2019, we did a show together called Comedians Getting Drunk Playing Panel Shows and played in front of about 80 people. Somebody from that show has been to every single one of our solo shows since! And there are lots of stories like that.

I think Now Look Here is the best one yet, the jokes are gonna be very on theme, and it will be the neatest show with a definite idea, a sort of standup designed for a Fringe environment. I’m not performing for a camera at the back because there isn’t one, or I’m not gearing up for a sort of national tour. The show’s for Edinburgh.

And, even if the decision is financially ridiculous and completely insane, it’s the kind of comedy people were making 20 years ago, and that’s what my show is about.

Now Look Here is at The Big Yurt at Hoots, Potterrow from 7th till 30th August

Photo credit: Dylan Woodley