Barry Castagnola
Barry Castagnola has been performing stand-up in the UK and internationally since the late Nineties – when he blagged his way onto the stage at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. He has appeared in the Channel 4 show Experimental and presented The YES/NO Gameshow on cable channel Bravo.
He is also one third of the spoof ecowarrior troupe Cyderdelic (alongside Marc Wootton and Liam Woodman), who made a six-part BBC Three series and made regular appearances on Channel 4's 11 O'Clock Show.
Barry Castagnola Videos
Reviews
Barry Castagnola: Fringe 2012

This is a nice idea, nicely executed. Fringe veteran Barry Castagnola has overslept for his own show, so a number of alter egos fill in until he gets there – so far, so standard for a character showcase.
But a combination of great creations, sharp in-jokes and a film showing his progress through the streets of Edinburgh as he simultaneously attempts to find a stand-in combine to make a hugely entertaining show.
Those in the audience who don’t know the set-up are genuinely perplexed when the announcement of Castagnola’s name is met with a flurry of activity from the venue staff; ‘He’s not here yet!’ Nonetheless one of them, Figgsy, is persuaded to play one or two of the tunes he’s written to kill some time.
read more of this review …
This is actually the weakest character in the show: a typically earnest if naïve studenty protest singer offering the unique insight that war is wrong. His second tune is a love song that goes all stalkery, a tired old cliché of musical comedians – which is something of a surprise given that for the rest of the show Castagnola cheerfully makes a bonfire of such trite conventions.
Indeed, the next character is newish comic Danny Donkin, employing all the tropes of the comedy-course graduate. He has does jokes based on his parents’ nationalities, has trademark poses he thinks will get him on E4, and alternates between gag-free oddness and saying ‘awkward!’ in lieu of a punchline. When it’s parody it’s funny in a way that all the real-life hopefuls only rarely are – and this is a welcome tonic for anyone who’s seen too much inauthentic youth-skewed comedy this Fringe.
More insider gags from the next character, a brash, apparently coke-fuelled agent bellowing gags of his own, reliving his days as an old-school act of dubious taste. There is actually some decent, if bawdy, material here – proving Castagnola’s not just mocking the business, but can actually write jokes too.
The next archetype to be mocked is the super-keen Oxbridge student improvisers/sketch group, with their wide-eyed hopes and dreams; daddy’s financial backing; and arsenal of theatrical warm-up exercises… if no actual talent. Castagnola nearly ruins the artifice by ad libbing a half-decent pun he’s forced to play down, but there’s more silly fun here.
Between the characters, and sometimes interacting with them, we see the ‘real’ Castagnola’s dash to the stage in a film filled with cameos from his comedian chums – cue more in-jokes – and offering a narrative to the hour. There’s also a completely odd character who drops in at the end with no context, funny for his sheer oddness.
Castagnola’s writing is decent enough on its own, but this is primarily a show for people who are immersed in comedy… so Edinburgh’s probably the only place this state-of-the-industry satire would work to its full advanage. If you’ve already seen just one too many lacklustre comedy show, this is the antidote.
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Barry Castagnola Dates
Fri 21 Jun 2013
- Piccadilly Jongleurs
- 20:30
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, Darius Davies, John Moloney, Mark Olver
Fri 21 Jun 2013
Book Now- Piccadilly Jongleurs
- 00:00~00:55
- £12
- Barry Castagnola, John Moloney, Mark Olver
Sat 22 Jun 2013
- Piccadilly Jongleurs
- 20:30
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, Darius Davies, John Moloney, Mark Olver
Sat 22 Jun 2013
Book Now- Piccadilly Jongleurs
- 00:00~00:00
- £15
- Barry Castagnola, John Moloney, Mark Olver
Fri 19 Jul 2013
- Birmingham Jongleurs
- 21:00
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, Des Clarke, Kevin Dewsbury, Kojo
Sat 20 Jul 2013
- Birmingham Jongleurs
- 21:00
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, Des Clarke, Kevin Dewsbury, Kojo
Sat 27 Jul 2013
Book Now- Funny Side Of Covent Garden
- 20:00
- £12.50
- Barry Castagnola, Ola, Stephen Grant
Wed 31 Jul 2013
More Barry Castagnola Dates …
Thu 1 Aug 2013
Fri 2 Aug 2013
- Bristol Jongleurs
- 21:00
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, John Ryan, John Scott, Junior Simpson
Fri 2 Aug 2013
Sat 3 Aug 2013
- Bristol Jongleurs
- 21:00
- From £12
- Barry Castagnola, John Ryan, John Scott, Junior Simpson
Sat 3 Aug 2013
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Older Comments
Jay - 23/04/2013
This fella had me in stitches the moment he came on stage,so so funny made my night a good one! Will I be seeing him again? Oh yes!! Good job
Kath - 12/10/2012
Saw him last week. He was on last on a good night and raised it another level. Charming, self-deprecating and genuinely funny. I recommend!
Emin - 23/09/2012
Didn't like him. An identikit bloke-ish act. Bit of a bully in my opinion. I imagine he's terribly nice to anyone who might give him a TV show though
Scott B - 07/04/2012
I saw this guy at the Crack Comedy Club in Wimbledon tonight. Barry was the headliner, he was after Nina Benjiman (who was aweseome) but he came on stage and started ripping the fact that he was in front of so few people. Then he went through his set... and it wasn't funny. He then started ripping people that liked reality TV! such as X-factor, BGT or Total Wipeout! So I heckled the man and said wipeout was funnier than him. When I got homet, I googled the man and watched the same set he did tonight on YouTube. It was dated 2009 - but it was funny. This goes to show the difference between someone who is interested in what they say as opposed to someone that isn't! It's a shame that he is doing the same set 3 years later, however I've seen lots of big names at small comedy clubs in london pulling off old routines yet they make it work! This man underestimates his audience and has ideas above his station... that's a shame.
Richard S - 19/01/2009
Saw this guy last week and he was sensational. Full of energy, great wiht the crowd. Not many' 'jokes' but somehow constantly funny. Brilliant!
Dave Rottweiler - 21/04/2008
Avoid. Saw him at South Streeet Comedy club, he lacked material and struggled to deliver what he had in an irritating "I walked into a pub right, and the thing about pubs is that you walk into a pub right and..." SPIT IT OUT MAN style!
Michael Monkhouse - 04/03/2008
Only seen him once but seemed a real star to me. Witty, whacky, creative, he had a great audience rapport and an even greater laugh-count.
Joise - 20/05/2005
He is a total natural, great adlibbing with the crowd with some very funny tales.
Jen - 13/02/2005
He was fantastic. Made me laugh so hard, vodka came out of my nose. Fab!
Tombola - 30/07/2004
Very impressed at Enfield's 'Roar With Laughter'. In fact, he was the only comic who did make us roar! Very much my sort of comedian with a great deal of sick humour that no-one wants to use in sets, but when it is mentioned everyone empathises and subsequently pisses themselves.
PhilD - 26/01/2004
I rate this lad very highly. Saw him at an otherwise weak night in Wimbledon and he shone. Stuff about hospitals and the like was excellent. Should go places.
Iain Watson - 27/11/2003
One of the best up and coming stand ups I've seen in a long time.
PAC - 11/06/2003
This guy is as funny as f**k. You'd be a fool to miss his show and I agree, his Kingston nights rock.
CM - 24/03/2003
Top class. An absolutely stonking act!
Bo - 18/02/2003
His comedy night in Kingston rocks. He is the man.