Cyril at Edinburgh Fringe 2026 - and BBC Radio Wales' Scrapbook

I'm going to the Edinburgh Fringe with my first ever solo stand-up show Cyril and tickets are now available from the EdFringe and Gilded Balloon websites.

I'll also be doing previews in Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff as part of Drones Comedy Club on 5 June and in London at Aces and Eights on 8th July - the latter being a double-header with the brilliant John-Luke Roberts. 

And so you know what you're getting into, here's the bumph...  

Cyril Gwynn (1897-1988), also known as The Bard Of Gower, was a tall, sunburnt, unsmiling farmer. Gareth Gwynn (1983-Present) is none of these things. Gareth did not spend WWI in the Navy, has never been shipwrecked, run a farm or emigrated to Australia, but he has found a book of poems by Cyril and is determined to find something they have in common. Solo stand-up debut from the co-writer of BBC One Wales' Tourist Trap, BBC Radio 4's Ankle Tag, as heard on The Now Show, TL;DR and Gareth Gwynn Hasn't Fin-. 'Hilarious' (Guardian). 

Gareth and Esyllt's Scrabook is a brand new show for BBC Radio Wales presented by Esyllt Sears and myself.

Inspired by our existing podcast, it's two hours of guests, music and archive, plus a handful of culinary experiments which go very wrong indeed.

Episode 1 covers 1999 and 1984 and features 1999's BBC New Comedy Award winner Josie Long, who tells a story about Bob Monkhouse which is the most delightful clash of old/new showbiz I think I've ever heard.

The show is every Saturday at 5pm on BBC Radio Wales and available afterwards on BBC Sounds - And for more information, do check out the Brecon and Radnor Express.

Cyril in Leicester, Glasgow and Brighton

 

Tickets are available from the Leicester Comedy Festival website, the Glasgow International Comedy Festival website and the Brighton Fringe website. 

There'll almost certainly be more to come.  

December 2025 - I Can't Get Over 2025

I Can't Get Over 2025 is a look back at the year in Wales, presented by myself and Esyllt Sears. It's part of BBC Radio Wales' Christmas Day schedule but is already available on BBC Sounds.

And tickets are available for a Work In Progress version of my new show Cyril in the Leicester Comedy Festival (18 February) and Glasgow International Comedy Festival (23 March).

October 2025 - Cyril in Leicester/Glasgow

 

I'm doing Leicester Comedy Festival on 18th February with a Work-In-Progress version of my new show "Cyril".

(Image pinched from my own Instagram account, as I'm sure you can tell).

Tickets also seem to be on-sale for the Glasgow Comedy Festival on 23rd March, but I don't have a swish image template for that. Yet!

Here's what else I have been up to.   

        

        

 

September 2025 - Work In Progress Progresses

Thanks to everyone who came to see the work-in-progress verson of my new stand-up show, Cyril, in the Camden Fringe, or during my very unexpected Edinburgh run at Hotel Indigo.

I'll certainly be doing a few more dates very soon to capitalise on what I've just learnt - and I'll update the blog as soon as know when/where they'll be.

In the build-up to the shows, I did a couple of interviews to explain what Cyril is all about (and what I am all about too!), so I'll leave those here for now, together with an Instagram post, summing the whole thing up.

 

Never As Funny (Podcast) - Interview with Gareth Gwynn 

British Comedy Guide - My Comedy Career - Gareth Gwynn

A Young(ish) Perspective - In Conversation With Gareth Gwynn

Everything Theatre -  Plowing Up A Verse 

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A post shared by Gareth Gwynn (@gareth_gwynn)

Aside from Cyril, I have also recently appeared on John-Luke Roberts' fantastic podcast Sound Heap, reminiscing about Gardeners' Cuddling Time and contributing to Spookyspookspookspookspook. 

 

August 2025 - CYRIL at Edinburgh

In a very unexpected turn of events, I am doing a further work-in-progress run of my stand-up show 'Cyril' in Edinburgh.

I'm going to Edinburgh with my work-in-progress show Cyril (as this VERY hastily designed flyer explains!)

I'll be at the Hotel Indigo, York Place, at 4pm from 20th to 24th August. Do come along!

It's about my great-grandfather who was a seafarer, farmer and local poet.

I never met him because he died in Australia, but I've got a book of his (which in the background of the front image) and a handful of magazine articles, cuttings and notes left from my dad (the background of the second image!) which I have been working my way through to try and piece together his life.

In 2022 I found myself having to research Cyril's life to an unexpectedly tight deadline. I have now put everything I discovered into a show which is about fighting, farming and moving to London in the noughties when your agricultural ancestors thought tarmac was a bit much. Plus jokes.

The Camden run was great fun and I think it's coming along really nicely - and I'd genuinely suggest seeing it now before my family fact-check it and make me change things.

It's on 20-24 August at 4pm in Hotel Indigo York Place (Venue 79), Pay What You Want (including nothing, that's fine).

I completed a work-in-progress run at the Camden Fringe in July and in the build-up to the show, I did a couple of interviews to explain what Cyril is all about (and what I am all about too!) I'll pop them below.

British Comedy Guide - My Comedy Career - Gareth Gwynn

A Young(ish) Perspective - In Conversation With Gareth Gwynn

Everything Theatre -  Plowing Up A Verse

August 2025 - Too Long Didn't Read

Too Long; Didn't Read is back in the Friday Night Comedy slot on BBC Radio 4 and in the corresponding bit of the BBC Sounds App and podcast feed. I contributed to episode 3 of the series, all about the sudden popularity of smaller political parties, clips of which (with video!) should appear below. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Radio 4 (@bbcradio4)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Radio 4 (@bbcradio4)

I've also recently come to the end of a short Camden Fringe run of new my stand-up show Cyril. Details of the show are on a previous post but now I've worked out how the show works, I'm keen to find other places to perform it very soon indeed. 

In the build-up to the show, I did a couple of interviews to explain what Cyril is all about and, indeed, what I am all about too. I'll pop them below.

British Comedy Guide - My Comedy Career - Gareth Gwynn

A Young(ish) Perspective - In Conversation With Gareth Gwynn

Everything Theatre -  Plowing Up A Verse

April 2025 - Cyril Tickets Available Now

Tickets are now on sale for Cyril, a work in progress show I'm doing at this year's Camden Fringe Festival, in the Aces and Eights from 28th to 30th July. Come along! A bit of bumph about the show is underneath this photo of my great-grandfather and his dog (both looking quite miserable).

 

Cyril Gwynn (1897-1988), also known as The Bard Of Gower, was “a tall, sunburnt, unsmiling farmer”.

Gareth Gwynn (1983-Present) is none of these things. 

Gareth did not spend the First World War in the Merchant Navy, nor has he ever been shipwrecked, run a farm or tried to emigrate to Australia - but he's found a book of poems by his great-grandfather, and he's determined to find something they have in common.

This is also a comedy show about living in a city when your ancestors thought tarmac was all a bit much.

This is still a work-in-progress, but also, some of it is over 80 years old - so it’s safe to say, those bits are run-in. It probably balances out.

The image above, on the right, is an  actual poster I found in amongst my dad's stuff. Cyril moved to Australia in the 1960s so this is either him on a rare trip back or, as I suspect, his pals reading his stuff after he died. Either way, I think we can all agree, great fonts, so I've tried to update it with more relevant information for my 2025 performances.

Having read some of Cyril's poems in the Gower Festival in 2022 and Machynlleth Comedy Festival in 2023, I'm still in the thick of working out exactly what this is going to be - but do come along. It's going to be lots of fun.

On BBC Sounds right now, you can listen to the fifth and final series of the all-female sketch show Welcome Strangers.

I was script editor and co-director of the show which, this time round, features guest narrators Dame Sian Phillips, Di Botcher, Katy Wix and Suzanne Packer.

As I wrote when series 5 was first broadcast, looking back at the whole run, I'm not sure any of them went according to plan. Over 5 years, ever changing circumstances saw us do audience, non-audience, remote and studio recordings - meaning the build-up to each series felt wildly different from the last. Nevertheless, it has alway been an absolutely blast to work on - and I'm also 99% sure we broke the record for "shortest gap between two distinct radio series" with series 2 and 3 going out just a few weeks apart.

Series 1-4 were, of course, narrated by the brilliant Ruth Madoc - which makes it all the weirder that the reason I think we hold the record for shortest gap between radio series is that I know for a fact we are beaten on on TV by Hi-de-Hi.

Also available: I recently returned to the Beef and Dairy Network as archavist Alex Neon in an episode all about Billy Whizzbang, the plucky bullock who served in World War II and I was recently interviewed by Alex Lynch for his excellent podcast Out Of Character all about the sketch shows O'r Diwedd, Pantheon of Heroes and Tourist Trap as well as the documentary I produced about Rik Mayall (which is still available on BBC Sounds). 

And the now award-nominated podcast I'm So Not Over It, which I present with Esyllt Sears, is available wherever you get your podcasts.

December 2024 - I Can't Get Over 2024

I Can't Get Over 2024 is a look back at the year presented by Esyllt Sears and I for BBC Radio Wales - featuring guests, archive and an ill-advised attempt at a political package recorded in Cardiff Bay. It's on-air in Christmas week, but you can get hold of the whole thing early by heading to BBC Sounds!

There are also 98 episodes (or 100 if you count the Best Ofs) of our comedy history podcast I'm So Not Over It currently available wherever you get your podcasts, including our most recent run of interviews featuring Elis James, Rosie Holt, Gav Murphy, Anu Vaidyanathan and Gemma Arrowsmith, as well as two live editions from the Aberystwyth Comedy Festival featuring Eleanor Morton. 

 

I have just recorded a short piece for Rosie Holt's podcast NonCensored as Tim Dolton - all about the Labour party's attitude to renationalizing the railways, which should be out on Friday 6th December.

And I've been a guest, as myself this time, on Out Of Character with Alex Lynch, all about sketch, sitcom and character comedy talking about some of the BBC Wales and S4C sketch shows I've worked on including Tourist Trap, O'r Diwedd, Pantheon Of Heroes as well as the recent Rik Mayall and Unfinished documentaries I made for BBC Radio 4.

And finally, on BBC Sounds right now, the fifth and final series of the all-female sketch show Welcome Strangers is currently available. I acted as script editor for the show which, this time, features guest narrators Dame Sian Phillips, Di Botcher, Katy Wix and Suzanne Packer.

I should write a proper post about this show at some point. We did five series of Welcome Strangers and, thinking back, I'm not sure any of them went according to plan. Across the run we've done audience, non-audience, remote and studio recordings - meaning the build-up to each series felt wildly different. I'm also 99% sure we broke the record for "shortest gap between two distinct radio series" with series 2 and 3 going out just a few weeks apart. Series 1-4 were narrated by the brilliant Ruth Madoc which makes it all the weirder that the reason I think we hold the record for shortest gap between radio series is that I know for a fact we are beat on on TV by Hi-de-Hi.

October 2024: I'm So Not Over It with Elis James

 

Esyllt Sears and I have relaunched our comedy history podcast. The new series of I'm So Not Over It has begun, kicking off with special guest Elis James. It is available below - and wherever you get your podcasts.

October 2024 - I'm So Not Over It with Elis James and Eleanor Morton

We've rebranded the podcast! The Xennial Dome is now called I'm So Not Over It and our first episode under the new name is out now!

Elis James joins Esyllt Sears and I to tell us all about growing up in Carmarthen, how he beat a girl he fancied 1500-nil on a Welsh language TV quiz show and why he thought the death of Diana was a conspiracy dreamt up by bored Welsh language parents.

If we've done everything correctly, then on the same feed you'll find 80+ episodes of the Independent Podcast Award nominated show The Xennial Dome, culminating in two Best Of episodes (Part I and Part II) and across the month of October there'll be 4 more interviews plus regular episodes examining "This Month In History". If I can stick to the editing schedule.

Also, tickets for "The Xennial Dome" live at Aberyswyth Comedy Festival on Sunday 6th October are available here with special guest Eleanor Morton (Yes, it's under the old name, but it's fine, we'll have fun).

October 2024 - I'm So Not Over It with Elis James

 

We've rebranded the podcast! The Xennial Dome is now called I'm So Not Over It and our first episode under the new name is released on 3rd of October.

Elis James joins Esyllt Sears and I live at the London Welsh Centre to tell us all about growing up in Carmarthen, how he beat a girl he fancied 1500-nil on a Welsh language TV quiz show and why he thought the death of Diana was a conspiracy dreamt up by bored Welsh language parents. We also discuss looking fashionable in Carmarthen and how far Welsh people would drive for a McDonald in the 90s (it's MILES). 

If we've done everything correctly, then on the same feed you'll find 80+ episodes of the Independent Podcast Award nominated show The Xennial Dome, culminating in two Best Of episodes (Part I and Part II) and across the month of October there'll be 4 more interviews plus regular episodes examining "This Month In History". If I can stick to the editing schedule.

Also, tickets for "The Xennial Dome" live at Aberyswyth Comedy Festival on Sunday 6th October are available here. (Yes, it's under the old name, but it's fine, we'll have fun).

October 2024 - Finalists!

The Xennial Dome has been nominated in the Best Comedy category at the Independent Podcast Awards!

 

By chance, we're running a few Best Of episodes throughout September, so click the link, search for us in your podcast player of choice or check out the playlist below to find out more. 

And come and see us at the Aberystwyth Comedy Festival on 6th October!