Kimberly Maberly

Regional Booker

What a show! A battle of comedic civilians and veterans if who is funnier. Brilliant show with heart and a good cause at its core. Led by the staff Sargent you are propelled into an hour of comedy talent where anything can be said and it does. I loved this show and it was a highlight of the fringe. I hope the boys return next year and more importantly raise even more money for this amazing cause.

Sofia May

Nominee for Best Newcomer

This is a hilarious show with so many different shades and tones. You've got comedians who have served in the armed forces, and then comedian civilians. This gives the show a really joyous texture and lends itself to a very heartwarming experience of camaraderie. The comics have been brilliant, and the guys running this show have the biggest hearts and a wildly good sense of humor. I personally love hearing the veterans talk about their time in the service, and there is some of that, and those bits are so delicious, so personal, and offer such a unique perspective. And for the vets that choose to talk about something else, they have delivered banging sets as well. I personally love that this is a room where material on traumatic experiences is understood and appreciated. It's a great show. You'll leave having seen great comedy and with a full heart.

Matthew Tiemstra

Audience member

A raucous and casual time that brings people from different walks of life together in the same medium! A great cause and a great time run by genuinely talented people. Cannot recommend enough, and not just for the dog.

Anne & Clan

Audience members

Freakin hilarious and supporting a great cause, Pee your pants and virtue signal at the same time. Great show guys!

Joseph Archer

Audience member

Very entertaining and a very meaningful organisation behind the event. Highly recommend.

Sam Ecc

Audience member

Absolutely brilliant! The connection with the audience from every comedian was superb… Especially Jim Bob and the host Irish! Great concept, veterans vs comedians, but due to some masterful improv and interactions with the crowd… The audience won! Bloody loved it!!!!

James Cave

Audience member

Brilliant concept to not only share joy and laughter but to raise money for a brilliant cause. Have a laugh and get yourself there. X

Annette M Corrigan

Audience member

This was a brilliant show. I would have liked more time, but realise there is a limit. I loved Jim Bob's new material. I was belly laughing at times. The other artists are also brilliant and worth watching...

Scub

Audience member

This show is a great concept and the execution is an entertaining mix of great jokes that will make you laugh out loud throughout the hour. A glorious blend of 4 very different comics who use their comedy to laugh at life's struggles and their healing. Many serious topics are lightened by the comics' big light hearted perspectives.

International Times

Professional critic

Each of the three comics, who are the bedrock of the idea to use comedy as a means to support and give new direction to ex-military personnel who may need help adapting to civilian life, have their own original style, and compliment each other perfectly. They have a long-term plan to set up a permanent space from which to operate their ideas and train newcomers in the art of comedy as both therapy and/or alternative lifestyle. Go see them, lend your support, they’re good gagsters!

Paul Levy - Fringe Review

Professional critic

The format of Gags Army is pretty classic with three stand-up comedians getting about 20 minutes each to do their routines, with a little bit of explanation at the end, in this case from Nick Cheng who tells us about the charity work that is underpinning bringing these very able and funny comedians to the Fringe.

This is comedy with heart but it does not stop all three comedians offering plenty of knob gags, dark humour rooted in some very wry and sharp observation.

Jim Bob, who was in the army, (the Bolton lad who is a self-confessed Santa lookalike) spends more than half of his allotted time in audience interaction, responding to various questions posed to audience members. Their various jobs create the opportunity for some pretty cutting clips from this witty comedian, and much of the audience laughter comes from a humour which borders on being a bit harsh with his targets but ultimately ends up being at the service of a shared experience of comedy that had most people laughing for all the right reasons. It is observational comedy that runs through the whole evening and our first comedian knows his stuff. He is at ease with the interaction and this is augmented with some laugh-out-loud observations of topics such as social media.

Jay Saunders & Hawke the PTSD assistance dog take to the stage in the second act. (Jay was a navy officer). What I really valued here was a really skilled stand-up comedian who uses himself as a target for much of his observation but also offers some revealing insights into what it is like to be in and come out of the navy with PTSD and a lot more to deal with. It shocks me to this day how little support is offered to veterans who find it difficult to cope with the trauma of being in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. We owe them more and at least this charity is giving them a chance at standing tall and proud and in this case being very funny. This is another fast-paced comedian who knows when occasionally to slow down and let the challenges of finding love and dating apps sink in. There were hoots of laughter and howls of delight at the struggles of just being a human being in the world out there, especially up north! Comedy can often arise from the simple stories we tell of trying to exist as human beings. I have never been in the army but I found this routine very relatable, as did many members of the audience.

The third comedian was LongHu, the Chinese kindergarten teacher who “terrifies the dads”. This is the alter ego of stand-up comedy pioneer for veterans Nik Cheng (Nick was in the Navy Submariner service, none of his material in this show, sunk to the bottom). He is a very skilled and charismatic performer and material here included living in China, falling in love and getting married. There was plenty of reference to the husband but ultimately I think that his husband is a lucky man for the wit, outrageous humour, but loving rootedness of this routine. LongHu is a harsh comedian until you realise how wise he is, a wisdom born of suffering, learning, insight and a sharp eye for a laugh. That really describes all three that were on show tonight.

Indeed all three routines and comedians demonstrated the skill of creating sharp and often harsh comedy about simply dealing with the consequences of serving their country.

I fully enjoyed this show and it is not to patronise the project or the three comedians to say that this is daring work. It is courageous and daring to put yourself in front of an audience. They are clearly still learning their craft and still learning to cope with life after being in the army and the navy. But I think this is a generous hour because all three comedians gave of themselves more than many stand-up comedians I see, but also they succeed in delivering that with punchy comedy, and a little bit of self-deprecation that sometimes went a bit too far. I think we should always laugh at ourselves but we shouldn’t make ourselves too much of a figure of fun, and sometimes it was the observation of life more broadly rather than beating oneself up that provided the most quality comedy.

Overall the standard was very high, with the usual occasional miss amongst the many hit routines and gags and I look forward to seeing more comedians up at the Fringe from this important project that goes beyond its importance and stands on its own feet as a proud and funny show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

H and E

Audience member

A wonderful show deserving of your support! I went along not knowing what to expect, though, having worked with various ex service men I braced for some prickly gags. What we experienced was 3 genuine comics with unique and personal styles and bucket fulls of heart in each set. The traditional military blue jokes were peppered throughout each comic opening up about their own in leaving the military and the complexities of civilian life, the purpose of putting together 'Gags Army' into the sets. Jay, Jim and Nick were wonderful entertainers and are fighting the good fight through this charitable enterprise. I highly recommend checking out this show, the boys are doing a stirling job and deserve your support!

Aydin and Suzi

Audience members

A We both really enjoyed the show, going in not knowing what to expect, we were entertained by all from start to finish. It was only one of the guys' third time on stage and he was brilliant. We would wholeheartedly recommend marching down to see Gags Army, not only for the laughs but to support a fantastic cause while at it. A truly great group of guys.

Scub

Audience member

Lots of laugh out loud moments throughout the hour while the audience is immersed in to a glorious blend of 2 very different comics with a fantastic MC and his adorable hound. All the guys use their comedy to laugh at life's struggles, acceptance and their healing. Many serious topics are lightened by the comics' big light hearted perspectives. Their resilience is infectious as is their laughter. You will feel part of their army for a moment. A few mucky jokes so leave your prude at the door. All for the love of a great charity and the art of comedy.