Biography.
Ben Van der Velde is a stand-up comedian, actor, improviser and presenter, and has performed and hosted across the UK, as well as in Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Norway.
Ben is a regular performer at the Edinburgh Festival, where he has performed three critically-acclaimed shows: Chain Letter, Strudelhead and Barbarians. In 2016, his most recent show received 5 and 4 star reviews, whilst several of jokes made it into lists of ‘Best Joke at the Fringe’ compiled by The Scotsman, i-News and The Huffington Post.
Ben has amassed a few residencies as an MC; most notably at Really Lovely Comedy and the legendary Free Beer Show, where he has featured alongside acts such as Omid Djalili, Reginald D. Hunter, Sarah Millican, Jim Jefferies and Andrew Maxwell . Ben is also currently helmsman of the Chortle Award-winning Good Ship Comedy Club.
Reviews.
“The perfect comedy club host – he is a master of audience interaction. The audience weren’t just warmed up, but pretty hysterical even before the first act of the night hit the stage.” – Huffington Post.
“Wonderfully improvised riffs showcasing his impressive spontaneity and sharp tongue.” – Edinburgh Festivals Magazine.
“On flights of fancy, he pushes ideas to extremes and displays a crackling, spontaneous energy in which we’re swept up.” – Fest.
