'Making a case for debauchery'

John Tothill is to record a stand-up show for Radio 4.

John Tothill Forgives Your Sins is described as a celebration of vices ‘making a case for debauchery, and absolving us of our sins’.

The comic, originally from Essex, is a former member of the Cambridge Footlights and had  one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, where he was nominated for best show. 

Tothill notably funded his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2023 with a  paid medical trial in which he was infected with a strain of malaria, which made him severely ill. And at the following year's festival he suffered  a burst appendix which led to intra-abdominal sepsis and the cancellation of nine performances.

He will also soon be seen in the Channel 4 comedy series It Gets Worse, created by fellow comedian Leo Reich.

Producers of his radio show call it ‘an incredible, naughty new stand up show’ and explain: ‘‘We all have those regrets - regrets that make you wince to remember and itch to book a one-way trip to Nepal. What’s the best course of action? Bottle them up? Not on John’s watch.’

It will be taped at Up The Creek comedy club in Greenwich, South London, on April 8. Free tickets are available from the BBC website.

Published: 12 Mar 2026