{{Short description|British comedian and director (born 1984)}} {{Use British English|date=April 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Stuart Laws | image = Stuart Laws Union Hall 07 (cropped).jpg | caption = Laws in 2025 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1984|4|7}} | birth_place = Taplow, Berkshire, England | occupation = Comedian | years_active = 2011–present | website = {{URL|https://www.stuartlaws.com/}} }}
'''Stuart Richard Walter Laws''' (born 7 April 1984) is a British comedian. He is the founder of Turtle Canyon Comedy, an independent production company through which he has directed and produced stand-up specials for comedians including James Acaster, Nish Kumar and Fern Brady.<ref name="variety-acaster">{{Cite web |last=Shanfield |first=Ethan |date=12 November 2024 |title=James Acaster Lets the Audience Misbehave in New HBO Comedy Special 'Hecklers Welcome' |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/james-acaster-hbo-comedy-special-hecklers-welcome-1236207516/ |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Variety}}</ref><ref name="list-profile">{{Cite web |title=Stuart Laws on comedy: 'There's an arms race of how vulnerable you can be on stage' |url=https://list.co.uk/news/stuart-laws-on-comedy-theres-an-arms-race-of-how-vulnerable-you-can-be-on-stage-46479 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=The List}}</ref> As a stand-up performer, Laws has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe annually since 2013 and has received critical recognition from publications including The Scotsman, Chortle, and The List.<ref name="scotsman-review">{{Cite web |title=Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? {{!}} Dan Lees: Vinyl Reflections + more |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/edinburgh-fringe-comedy-reviews-stuart-laws-has-to-be-joking-dan-lees-vinyl-reflections-4749936 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=The Scotsman}}</ref><ref name="chortle-2024">{{Cite web |title=Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking? |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2024/08/19/56394/stuart_laws_has_to_be_joking |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Chortle}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== Stand-up comedy === Laws began performing stand-up in the early 2010s and, in 2013, debuted his first solo Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, ''Absolutely Will Not Stop, Ever, Until You Are Dead''.<ref name="bcg">{{Cite web |title=Stuart Laws |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/stuart_laws/ |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref> He has returned to the Fringe annually since, and has also performed at the Leicester Comedy Festival, where he was nominated for Best Show in 2021.<ref name="bcg" />
His 2023 Edinburgh show, later filmed as the special ''Is That Guy Still Going?'' for 800 Pound Gorilla Media, marked a shift toward more personal material, addressing grief, relationships and fatherhood.<ref name="800pgm">{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=Stuart Laws Opens Up About His New Special, "Is That Guy Still Going?" |url=https://800poundgorillamedia.com/blogs/the-laugh-button/stuart-laws |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=800 Pound Gorilla Media}}</ref> In 2024, he brought ''Stuart Laws Has to Be Joking?'' to the Fringe, a show exploring his recent autism diagnosis and its effect on his relationships. The show received a four-star review from ''The Scotsman'', which described it as a "deliciously joke-dense" show by "one of the most skilled and likeable comics" at the festival.<ref name="scotsman-review" /> ''Chortle'' gave the show four stars, noting that Laws had taken his comedy "in a more personally honest direction".<ref name="chortle-2024" />
=== Writing, directing and production === Laws founded the production company Turtle Canyon Comedy.<ref name="list-profile" /> His directing credits include stand-up specials for several British comedians: * ''James Acaster: Hecklers Welcome'' (HBO)<ref name="variety-acaster"/> * ''Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control'' (Netflix)<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/nish-kumar-your-power-your-control/umc.cmc.762zqgz8l4ju4o3kzvvstoa81 |title=Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control - Apple TV |date=2024-03-26 |language=en-US |access-date=2025-07-13 |via=tv.apple.com}}</ref> * ''Ivo Graham: Live From Bloomsbury Theatre<ref>{{cite web | title=Ivo Graham: Live from Bloomsbury Theatre | website=IMDb | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32801245/ }}</ref>'' * ''Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen'' (Amazon Prime Video)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dessau |first=Bruce |date=2024-03-18 |title=Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen To Air On Netflix |url=https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/14588/fern-brady-netflix |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Beyond The Joke |language=en}}</ref>
=== ''The Debuts'' === In 2024, Laws created, directed and narrated the documentary ''The Debuts'', which followed five comedians — Amy Gledhill, Sikisa, Josh Jones, Lily Phillips and Anthony DeVito — as they prepared for and performed their first full-hour shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.<ref name="chortle-debuts">{{Cite web |title=The tough reality of a Fringe debut |date=24 July 2024 |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2024/07/24/56141/the_tough_reality_of_a_fringe_debut |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Chortle}}</ref> The documentary was covered in ''The Guardian'' as part of its reporting on the pressures of the Fringe festival.<ref name="guardian-debuts">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jul/28/theyre-dumb-but-i-want-to-win-comedians-tell-of-the-highs-and-lows-of-the-edinburgh-fringe-awards |title='They're dumb, but I want to win': comedians tell of the highs and lows of the Edinburgh Fringe awards |work=The Guardian |date=28 July 2024 |last=Healy |first=Rachael |access-date=2025-07-13}}</ref> Laws also wrote a piece for ''The Scotsman'' reflecting on what he learned making the film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-31 |title=Stuart Laws on what he learned filming five comedians for a whole Fringe |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/edinburgh-festivals/what-i-learned-filming-five-comedians-for-a-whole-fringe-by-stuart-laws-4710394 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=The Scotsman}}</ref>
=== Other work === Laws has written for BBC Radio 4.<ref name="bcg" /> In 2021, he created ''Grave New World'', a comedic mockumentary series about life after the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring an ensemble cast including James Acaster, Harriet Kemsley and Bobby Mair. The series was profiled in ''The Guardian''.<ref name="guardian-gnw">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/mar/31/grave-new-world-stuart-laws-mockumentary-coronavirus-covid-new-normal |title=Grave New World review |work=The Guardian |date=31 March 2021 |access-date=2025-07-13}}</ref> He has also contributed to Channel 4's digital comedy platform ''Mashed'' and created the ''Comedians Beer Mat Flipping Championship''.<ref name="list-profile" />
==Personal life== IIn 2024, during the Edinburgh Fringe, Laws was diagnosed with autism, which became a central theme of his subsequent work.<ref name="sussex">{{Cite web |last=Hewitt |first=Phil |date=2025-03-26 |title=Comedian Stuart Laws gets personal after autism confirmation |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/comedian-stuart-laws-gets-personal-after-autism-confirmation-5031144 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Sussex Express}}</ref> He is in a relationship with American comedian Chloe Radcliffe.<ref name="800pgm" />
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laws, Stuart}} Category:Living people Category:British male comedians Category:British stand-up comedians Category:British comedy writers Category:People from Taplow Category:1984 births Category:21st-century British comedians Category:English autistic people Category:Comedians with disabilities Category:Autistic entertainers