Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

Luke Connell describes himself as ‘one of the weirdest men in Edinburgh’… which suggests he just hasn’t been looking around that much.

In fact he’s a mildly eccentric academic – a professor of medieval French literature at Durham University - with a passion for his subject he wants to share.

On topic – the Middle Ages in general rather than the French literature side – he’s interesting and quirky. However when he tries more general stand-up the results are bumpier. Lots of comedians could do better material about sex toys in charity shops; few could match him for content about formicaleone, the half-ant, half-lion chimera.

There are plenty of titbits here that would be worthy of QI, even if the ensuing gags aren’t up to the quality of the panel show’s A-listers. For example, talking about ancient cartography turns into mediocre stand-up about star ratings on Google Maps.

More successful are the analogies he doesn’t need to stretch such as describing monks as the ‘frat boys of the Middle Ages’, into drinking and insane activities such as trying to fly by jumping off a tower.

Medieval art is an especially fertile strand, as he shares with us the way skeletons were depicted - rather jolly to modern eyes – or the creative ways of drawing animals at the time. He acknowledges it might be patronising to those bygone artists to do this, but the results of their work are too funny not to.

Other sections cast a look at what passed for medicine at the time, the stories knights such as Lancelot and medieval names for pet dogs– ‘Hornybull’ is really due a comeback. There’s no great thesis here, just a  collection of curiosities. 

 Bloody Marvellous is a gentle show, always interesting and with a constant hum of mild amusement, if rarely in danger of provoking any wild explosions of mirth. Connell is a relaxed, charming and knowledgeable guide, so accept this as a whimsical lecture rather than a comedy show and you’ll not be disappointed.

Review date: 21 Aug 2025
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Laughing Horse @ The Brass Monkey