“We’re All Hurtling Towards the Grave”: Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King on Finding Joy Anyway

Comedian Alasdair Beckett-King brings new show King of Crumbs to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, serving up surreal stand-up on millennial nostalgia, climate anxiety and the joy of a well-timed joke. Combining whimsy with sharp observations, the show navigates everything from 90s cartoons to emotional repression, all with Beckett-King’s signature wit and a toast crumb or two.

Can you tell our readers a bit about King of Crumbs.

A lot of people my age are getting older. Millennials are looking back on our childhoods and falling into the nostalgia trap of thinking everything was better then. And it’s a short step from there to sharing facebook memes about proper milkmen, drinking from the garden hose and bringing back hanging. In King of Crumbs, I’m looking back at all the little things that made my childhood: 90s cartoons, candy cigarettes, emotional repression etc. And I’m trying to believe that things are better now.

You’ve said that whimsy and absurdity can be restorative rather than escapist. How do you think surreal comedy helps us engage with - or disengage from - reality?

These are hard times for a travelling whimsy merchant. It’s all bread and circuses, except circus funding has been slashed by decades of neo-liberalism. They now have to get twice as many clowns into that tiny car, it’s a nightmare. But, I think trying to cheer people up, show by show and room by room, is a worthwhile thing to do. 

Do you consider your work escapist or confrontational - or neither?

I think a bit of escapism is good for you, now and then. And the thing about comedy is it’s all about bathos. You can have flights of fancy and whimsical non-sequiturs, but the dull thud of reality is always ready to come in on the punchline.

The show touches on generational malaise - millennial burnout, climate anxiety, and more. Is humour a useful way to metabolise those feelings?

Don’t forget microplastics! I don’t think comedy can really fix any of the anxieties that gnaw away at me. But perhaps there’s some joy to be taken from the fact that ALL of us feel that way? We’re all hurtling towards the grave, racked with doubt and uncertainty. I mean, it doesn’t sound very joyful now I’ve written it out. I feel quite a lot worse, actually. Sorry, everyone.

Does humour always have to “say something” about the world, or can it simply offer joy on its own terms?

I think very serious and profound thoughts all the time. But I rarely end up saying any of them in stand up. When writing a show, I think it’s important to keep an eye on the Joke to Bloody Good Point ratio. You can make a couple of Bloody Good Points in an hour, but you’re going to want a lot more Jokes.

What kind of response do you most hope audiences walk away with after seeing King of Crumbs?

I hope to acquire a mysterious benefactor, like Pip from Great Expectations. Please pay for me to be dressed and schooled as befits a gentleman.

Finally - where do you hope comedy as a whole is heading over the next few years? Do you see audiences embracing silliness and joy more readily now?

I think silly comedy is back, and that’s great. The only problem is, we don’t make sketch shows, sitcoms or comedy films at the rate we used to in the UK. The talent is there, the audience is there and low-budget comedy is cheaper to produce than ever. You would think a booming British comedy industry would be the inevitable result? Let’s see!

Alasdair Beckett-King will be taking “King of Crumbs” to the Edinburgh Fringe this year from 30th July – 11th August

For tickets and more information, visit: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/alasdair-beckett-king-king-crumbs