Jo Caulfield
Nominated for best compere in the 2004 Chortle Awards and best female stand-up in the same awards in 2002.
Read More
Jo Caulfield: Bad Mood Rising
Edinburgh Fringe comedy review
Our friends across the media landscape have questions to answer regarding the career of Jo Caulfield, who reliably pulls sizeable audiences every Fringe, receiving a regular stream of giddily keen reviews from the few critics that do visit, yet still plodding along each year very much not under the media’s watchful eye.
Is this good old-fashioned entertainment industry ageism? A result of neophilia - an industry innately focused on the search for new names: previously unheard-of next big things? Or is it a venue issue, as performing in New Town is seen as no more likely to attract you media attention than if you stood around on Princes Street yelling at shoppers?
Or could it be that, in 2025, there are just far too many deserving comedians fighting for coverage from fewer reviewers, as well as a much-depleted number of opportunities available to engage a mass audience via a TV industry that’s in crisis?
As usual, social media would be one answer: a medium in which Caulfield’s vicious, withering comic style should be extremely well-suited. A little more care and attention with video production and editing could prove wonders. Caulfield operates in a similar tetchy ballpark to Jen Brister, who has built a colossal audience online and now, as a result, is set to play the country’s biggest theatres on her upcoming tour.
A huge amount of food for thought then, which you’ll have plenty of time to chew over while watching Caulfield’s 2025 show Bad Mood Rising, owing to the fact that this one isn’t actually very good.
Sure, there’s some vintage Caulfield. Witness mention of the controversy about Abercrombie & Fitch being accused of only hiring attractive people, which causes Caulfield to ask if Morrisons have the exact opposite policy. There’s a peach of a line about the SNP. You’d have a hard time arguing that the reference to Sinéad O'Connor isn’t an example of making skilled comic connections. In terms of performance style, Caulfield’s mannerisms occasionally slip into an intriguing flourish immediately reminiscent of Graham Norton (for whom she has written).
There are tired elements: it tentatively feels like we might now be at the stage where comedy doesn’t need anybody else suggesting Brexit hasn’t been the excellent idea it was once presented as being. There are discussions elsewhere of people who announce undying love on Facebook, and for the ‘Netflix & Chill’ trend. A trend you might remember from, well, 2015.
At the start Caulfield welcomes us by talking about many of the other shows in town, that typically have a big theatrical arc you have to follow. ‘I don’t do that, because I have an ability to write jokes.’ What a fun - and typically brutal - line. You just usually get a lot more killer examples of them from this comic.
Turning over a high quantity of wisecracks every Fringe must be a tricky craft. Hopefully 2026 will be a great year to pay close attention to this comedian.
Published: 10 Aug 2025
Saturday was, by all accounts, the day to go to the…
12/07/2021
Saturday Night Live at The Stand
Nothing beats a live gig, but if this is to be the…
22/03/2020
When John Moloney saw an injustice, he decided to do…
22/03/2018
Jo Caulfield: Cancel My Subscription
Year after year, show after show Jo Caulfield pulls…
8/08/2014
What most Edinburgh shows wouldn’t give to be the…
8/08/2012
Al Murray at the Ealing Comedy Festival
Al Murray’s the big draw at the penultimate night…
20/07/2012
The Stand Newcastle launch gig
The backdrop is very familiar, a baby-faced cowboy,…
26/10/2011
Jo Caulfield: Cruel To Be Kind
Jo Caulfield stands on stage at the top of the show,…
25/08/2010
Ealing Comedy Festival gig 2010
With the plethora of outdoor festivals and comedy tents,…
22/07/2010
A Seriously Funny Attempt To Get The SFO in The Dock
Last night’s benefit, organised by indefatigable…
1/01/2007
Jo Caulfield’s got little left to prove. She’s…
1/01/2007
The annual International Women’s Day gala organised…
1/03/2006
Jo Caulfield – Original Review
The mordant Jo Caulfield can be relied upon to offer…
1/12/2005
By now, Jo Caulfield has established herself as a…
1/01/2005
Yesterday was an important date in the world calendar.…
1/01/2005
Jo Caulfield is a doyenne of audience banter, instinctively…
1/01/2004
It takes a certain type of person to be able to tell…
1/01/2003
Jo Caulfield puts the chatty, gossipy style she has…
1/01/2002
Jo Caulfield: It's Not That Important
Jo Caulfield instantly strikes you as the sort of…
1/01/2001
Products
Book (2023)
The Funny Thing About Death
Past Shows
Agent
We do not currently hold contact details for Jo Caulfield's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.