Q&A with Chortle Hotshot Alex Stringer

Alex Stringer is the latest subject in our ongoing series of Q&As with Chortle Hotshots. They are five comedians we selected from a series of gigs around the country who are making their debut at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and who we tip for good things....

How did you get into comedy?

I always loved it! I used to go to the Fringe and my background is theatre but I always did a 50/50 split between theatre and comedy. So it was always underlying, until I did a comedy workshop to make a play funnier and the person running it said I should try stand-up. Spoiler, dear reader, I did! 

What are  the most surprising things - for good or bad - that you’ve discovered about yourself or the job of comedian – since you started?

I’m really reliable! I think because I started stand-up as a sober person, I’ve learnt a lot about myself over the past six years. I never was reliable as a drunkard so that’s been a lovely surprise to learn. I was surprised and disheartened to discover how alive and well misogyny is in comedy. But I hope it’s not forever...

What's the best piece of advice you’ve been given in comedy?

I hope they don’t mind me name-dropping but I remember talking about a tough gig to comedy superstar Bethany Black and she said Mick Ferry (another superstar) just said ‘be funnier’ and any time I get in a strop with how a gig has gone (rarely obviously - I’m hilarious) then I pivot my attention away from the audience, to me and what I can do about it. Which I think psychologically is really helpful.

Who’s your comedy hero?

Joan Rivers was a powerhouse and paved the way for lots of women in comedy. I also think Caroline Aherne was an icon and I’d have loved to have met her. 

What’s your Edinburgh Fringe debut about?

It’s about me getting sober at 23 (which was absolutely not my plan) and then being left with someone I didn’t know without alcohol and substances and realising you can be sober and still a divvy basically. In a nutshell!

Which is your favourite bit of your own material? And is the same as the bit that goes down best with audiences?

I have a bit about Yoko Ono that I love because it subverts the idea of a Scouse woman and what they think one is and I certainly don’t think I fit that mode either. The bit they like, however, is a really silly bit about ‘two half sisters which is like one sister’, which is probably the stupidest joke I’ve ever written, but they love it. 

Is there anything in your show that you were a bit reluctant to share?

A good 60 per cent I’d say! Ha! But I think that’s the beauty of an Edinburgh show. You have the freedom to go deeper and darker. They’re the shows I’ve remembered, anyway. 

What are you expecting from the Fringe?

I’m trying to rein in my expectations to be honest. I think that if I expect something and it doesn’t happen, I’ll feel disappointed, so I’d rather just enjoy the ride! That’s the answer I want folks to read, the truth? Awards, a TV show, global domination etc.. 

• Alex Stringer: Happy Hour is on at Pleasance Courtyard at 6pm during the Fringe. 

• Comics chosen as our Hotshots get financial help with their Fringe run, supported by the Fast Fringe showcases we run at Edinburgh. This year our usual 6.30pm show at Pleasance Dome (tickets) is supplemented by a clean, family-friendly version at 1.15pm in Gilded Balloon Appleton tower (tickets). Thanks to the comedians – 12 of them each day – taking part.

Published: 16 Jul 2025