New Zealand Sensation Jarred Christmas is one of the most innovative and exciting stand-ups on the UK circuit. A sought-after headliner famed for his quick-witted spontaneity, masterful skills of improvisation and energetic storytelling; Jarred is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival, and at comedy clubs and International festivals around the globe. He is a regular team member at The Comedy Store’s weekly topical show The Cutting Edge and was recently named Best Compere at the 2016 Chortle Awards; scooping the title for the second time.

A dynamic onstage persona combined with the ability to improvise with anything that’s thrown his way makes Jarred’s comedy sizzle with originality. Early in his career he supported both Ross Noble and Tommy Tiernan on UK tours. He has since written and performed in countless shows at the Edinburgh Festival and has toured the UK in his own right with his solo shows Jarred Christmas Stands Up and Let’s Go Mofo. He has just played to packed theatres across the UK hosting the All Star Stand Up Tour. The show featured a world-class line-up of comedians and Jarred was honoured to be invited to host the show for the second year running. Jarred returned to the Edinburgh Festival this year, with a brand new solo stand-up show A Funny Hour.

Full of passion and charisma, Jarred takes the audience on a hilarious thrill ride of laughs and gasps with an edge of anger that manifests itself in his incredible rants against the small things in our lives.

His confidence leaves the audience secure in the knowledge that they are in capable hands. His material is strong and distinctive, drawn from life experience and random happenings.

Television and film

Christmas has appeared on radio, film, television and stage.

On television, he has appeared as a performer and guest panellist on shows such as BBC Two‘s Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Mock the Week, BBC Three‘s Russell Howard’s Good News, Channel 4‘s 8 Out of 10 Cats and Dave’s One Night Stand

In 2011, Christmas took part in Let’s Dance for Comic Relief.[5] He has also appeared on Celebrity Mastermind alongside fellow comedians Imran Yusuf, Karen Taylorand Russell Kane.

Christmas appeared in two films in 2012: The Wedding Vide alongside Matt Berry, Miriam Margolyes and Robert Webb, and Is This a Joke? with Russell Tovey. He contributed to the feature-length documentary The People vs. George Lucas.

He appeared in the YouTube comedy web series Dwarves Assemble, which also featured Warwick Davis, Raymond Griffith, Peter Bonner and Simon Lane. He hosted the 2014 season of Monumental.[citation needed] Since 2014 he has been the Joke Master in the CBBC show The Joke Machine.

Theatre and live performance

Christmas has been performing live since the late 1990s.He had his debut in the Green Room above the Honeypot Cafe in Christchurch’s Lichfield Street aged 18, noting that he thinks that he “got one laugh in five minutes”.He was also a member of The Court Jesters as an improviser. He has performed at several festivals including Reading/Leeds, Liverpool Comedy Festival, Glasgow Comedy Festival, New Zealand International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In 2010 he toured the UK with his show Jarred Christmas Stands Up and in 2012 showcased his show Let’s Go Mofo.

He has supported such acts as Ross Noble and Tommy Tiernan.

Later in 2013, Christmas appeared at the Cardiff Comedy Festival,which featured comedians such as Alan Davies and Matt Rees, and also at the Green Man Festival, in which the comedy was headlined by Josh Widdicombe.

Whether performing sets, compering, acting, or improvising, Jarred has bundles of talent and will always shine no matter what performance situation he is put in.

“Best of the crop… A fabulously boisterous kiwi with a definite future” Evening Standard

“Impressive stuff… A comedic high five” Chortle

“One of the funniest men to pick up a microphone” Time Out, London

“Likeable, intelligent and full of unpredictable energy” The Scotsman

“Christmas is robustly funny, his delivery confident and his show not to be missed” The List, Edinburgh