Mark Christopher Bittlestone (born 1993) is an English stand-up comedian.[1] He has performed various shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and is known for his sketch videos on TikTok.

Mark Bittlestone
Bittlestone performing in Cardiff, Wales in August 2021
Born
Mark Christopher Bittlestone

1993
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
OccupationStand-up comedian
Years active2016–present
Websitemarkbittlestone.com

Early life

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Bittlestone was born in 1993 in Hammersmith, London and attended King's College School in Wimbledon, London.[2][3] He studied history at the University of Cambridge, attaining a Double First.[4]

Bittlestone is both openly gay and an adult orphan (gorphan) which inspired some of his earliest stand up material exploring the topics of homosexuality and death.[5][6] His mother Jean died in 2011[7] and his father Robert, author of Odysseus Unbound, died in 2015.[8]

Career

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Bittlestone was a member of the Cambridge Footlights.[9][10] His debut solo show, 'Pity Laughs', was performed in Cambridge in January 2017.[11][12]

Bittlestone performed at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe along with Will Dalrymple in a split bill show named 'Pity Laughs: A Tale of Two Gays'. A reworked version of the show returned in 2018.[13][14]

In 2019, Bittlestone and fellow Footlight Haydn Jenkins devised and performed in a comedy sketch show called 'Llaugh'.[15] The duo appeared in the Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off final in 2019 and 2020.[16][17]

Bittlestone returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 with a split bill show named 'Two Sour Gays' alongside Chris Hall.[18]

In 2023, Bittlestone appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in a solo show named 'Poofs "R" Us'.[19]

Podcast appearances

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Bittlestone is a joint host of the Dirty Laundry podcast, along with Jamie D'Souza.[20]

Bittlestone has also been invited onto several independent podcasts to talk about his life and share his experiences:

Year Podcast name Episode
2020 Guy and a Gal Series 2, episode 2[21]
2021 Celebrity Prelash Series 1, episode 7[22]
2022 Chatting with Cherubs Episode 15[23]
2023 My Mum Made Me Series 2, episode 4[24]
2023 Didn't Ask for Agony Episode 21[25]
2023 Our Dads Died Series 2, episode 8[26]
2024 There Will Be Film Episode 22[27]

References

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  1. ^ Beck, Laycie (2022-01-23). "Comedy Club returns to Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham for a night of fun and laughter". Grantham Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-08-24. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  2. ^ "Mark Christopher Bittlestone". freeBMD. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Kiam's Interviewshow: Mark Bittlestone On Talking about his Comedy, Being Gay and Tutoring". YouTube. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Mark Bittlestone Private Tutor". Wentworth Education. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  5. ^ Shaw, Rhiannon (2017-01-21). "Varsity: Crying with laughter". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  6. ^ Reynolds, Eliza (2017-01-24). "Review: Pity Laughs". The Tab. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  7. ^ "Jean Bittlestone obituary". The Times powered by Legacy. 2011-05-04. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  8. ^ "Odysseus Unbound - Robert Bittlestone". Odysseus Unbound: the Search for Homer’s Ithaca. Archived from the original on 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  9. ^ Bennett, Steve (2018-05-24). "Mark Bittlestone: Pity Laughs review". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  10. ^ "Mark Bittlestone Comedy CV". Comedy CV. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  11. ^ Shaw, Rhiannon (2017-01-21). "Varsity: Crying with laughter". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  12. ^ Mackinlay, Holly (2017-01-25). "Review: Pity Laughs". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  13. ^ Peacock, Robert (2018-08-29). "Pity Laughs: A Tale of Two Gays". The Wee Review. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  14. ^ "Previous Work: Pity Laughs". StraightUp Productions. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  15. ^ Bullen, Damian (2019-08-16). "Mark and Haydn: Llaugh". Mumble Comedy. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  16. ^ Bennett, Steve (2019-02-25). "Sketch Off Final 2019". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  17. ^ Bennett, Steve (2020-03-16). "Sketch Off Final 2020". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  18. ^ Nora, Kate (2022-08-18). "Chris Hall and Mark Bittlestone: Two Sour Gays". Broadway Baby. Archived from the original on 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  19. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe 10x10: Top Marks". Chortle. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  20. ^ "Dirty Laundry with Jamie DSouza and Mark Bittlestone". PodBean. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  21. ^ Juden, Matt; Ross, Gee (14 November 2020). "Mark Bittlestone" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  22. ^ Jack, Lucien (23 May 2021). "Celebrity Prelashin' with Mark Bittlestone AKA Poofsrus" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  23. ^ Jones, Josh; Rees, Morgan (22 September 2022). "Episode 15 with Mark Bittlestone" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  24. ^ Afshar, Paul (13 January 2023). "Mark Bittlestone ("TikTok Poof") on losing his mum and dad before finishing uni (mom, relationships)" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  25. ^ Higgins, Kathryn; Carr, Ruby (29 May 2023). "The 1697 Snitch with Mark Bittlestone" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  26. ^ Gerken, Tom; Spalding, Rich (27 October 2023). "Mark Bittlestone joins the pod!" (Podcast). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  27. ^ D'Arcy Roberts, Nathan; Regan, Heidi; Laws, Stewart (23 January 2024). "Mark Bittlestone & the Bourne Perineum" (Podcast). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
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