Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

For his official Fringe debut, after two years of 45-minute runs, Thor Stenhaug has gone for a straight-down-the-line ‘this is me’ introductory show, addressing his name, his Norwegianness, and his upbringing by a single parent in a small rural town.

Nothing, then, that will upend your world view. But more than enough to establish him as being funny – and personable, too. Audiences really warm to him, partly down to his affable chats with the front row, but more because his nice-guy shtick seems sincere.

He certainly doesn’t have any of the warrior-god machismo his parents might have hoped from the name they gave him – the point of an early gag – but he’s more the cheery, cheeky boy-next-door, the Scandi Ed Gamble.

Naturally, being a foreigner in this land where he’s lived for a few years forms a cornerstone of his act, from the ‘unsexy’ Norwegian accent to idiomatic English turns of phrase he thinks are peculiar and charming. Even funnier is the routine about the gaps in his vocabulary. 

Brought up on big-city sitcoms like Friends, he loves the flatshare life in London, too, however much others of his generation might reasonably complain about such a situation. It’s typical of the glass-half-full outlook that runs through his work. He’s always smiling, and every punchline that lands, which is probably all of them, seems to delight him.

From those foundations, Stenhaug moves on to talk about his family. He was the result of a one-night stand, which might not seem that big a deal when you first hear it, but there are many consequences which he’s had 32 years to think about. Some anecdotes might be typical of non-traditional families, others seem unique, such as his cadging unaccompanied lifts with strange DHL couriers when a small child. 

Despite the circumstances of his conception, his parents vowed to work together on his upbringing – and they seem to have done a good job, given how good-natured a persona he projects.

His unusual upbringing certainly contrasted with the tight-knit, deeply Christian, don’t-believe-in-evolution, – and absolutely loaded – family of his significant ex, and he explores those differences wittily. Between the extremes of close family and estranged parents, he later tried an open relationship, which he rather enjoyed. It seemed to appeal to his easy-going, collaborative personality.

The recurring theme of family, and even the sitcom life he craves, helps everything slot together nicely without labouring the structure nor shoehorning in callbacks, making the conversation seem natural, belying its polish. It all proves an effective calling card for a personable, relatable, TV-ready comedian.

Review date: 2 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Pleasance Courtyard