It is a blustery evening in early April, and a crowd has gathered in east London’s Bethnal Green to watch a comedy show. They seem like a fairly typical audience: white, but not exclusively so; male, but not overwhelmingly. Slightly older than average, perhaps, but I still spot plenty of young couples, and even a teenager or two.
But don’t be fooled. This is not your run-of-the-mill comedy night; this is Comedy Unleashed: a rebellion against the “safe, tramline orthodoxy” of the contemporary comedy circuit, according to its website, and a haven for “free-thinking comedians who leave their self-censorship button at the door”. Notably, that includes “cancelled” figures who have faced censure for their comic material or social media posts, among them standup Andrew Lawrence and Father Ted writer Graham Linehan – both on the bill tonight – as well as Daniel O’Reilly (otherwise known as Dapper Laughs), Mary Bourke and Leo Kearse. Comedy Unleashed is also clear about what it won’t tolerate: “nodding along to sermons with wisecracks is out”.
