Sick of everyone banging on about their mental health issues? Just imagine how Kate Pinchuck feels. She’s had a lifetime of therapy, medication, mental health walks AND two psychologist parents. Her whole identity was being unwell long before it was cool.

Now all of a sudden mental health has been destigmatised, and everyone is talking all about their boring diagnoses… in their Edinburgh Fringe shows.

With NHS waitlists growing and everyone desperate for some self-pathologising, it's Kate’s time to shine. This show isn’t just about her mental illness—it’s about yours.

As the world’s foremost qualified unqualified pseudo-therapist comedian, Kate has realised that she is the perfect person to solve everyone else’s issues. So, step into her office for some comedic group therapy that promises to be as hilarious as it is unhelpful.

Can she cure a room of strangers in 60 minutes, or just drag you down with her? Only one way to find out!

WINNER OF prestigious Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2024 National Arts Festival in Makhanda, South Africa (Africa’s biggest arts festival).

“Hilariously relatable…[Kate] effortlessly turned life challenges that most people would find to be taboo into comedic gold.” (Cue Media)

AS SEEN ON: Comedy Central, Showmax, South African National Television Channels Sabc1, 2 and 3

August 19, 2025    One4Review

South African–born, UK-based Kate Pinchuck opens her show not by bounding on stage, but with a wryly inventive recorded airplane announcement. We’re asked to fasten our seatbelts, expect a little turbulence, and note where the emergency exits are. It’s more than just a neat gag—it sets the tone for an hour where Pinchuck is both pilot and in-flight entertainment, steering us through storms of honesty and humour with the calm authority of someone who knows exactly where she’s going.
The central question she circles is deceptively simple: does therapy actually work? And Pinchuck has the credentials to explore it. With two psychologist parents and more than a few sessions on her own record, she’s practically been raised on the stuff. She mines her experiences with killer precision, making her observations feel both deeply personal and universally funny. There are break-ups with therapists who’ve moved practices or even entire countries; the infuriating way therapists guide you toward conclusions you’ve already arrived at; TikTok’s wild west of self-diagnosis; and sibling rivalries weaponised into full-scale psychological warfare. One routine about clocking which meds you’ll be prescribed by spotting the logo on your therapist’s pen is inspired—it’s sharp, clever, and laugh-out-loud accurate.
But Pinchuck is no one-trick pony, and Don’t Panic! isn’t confined to the therapy couch. She describes herself as a drama nerd, and that background bubbles through in witty songs and sharply observed character moments. A brilliant routine about “the big shop” transforms the mundane into absurd comic theatre, while her take on handling a partner’s ex is delivered with a wit so sharp you could cut glass with it. She also folds the audience into the mix, running a semi-workshop where we share our fears. In lesser hands this could feel awkward, but Pinchuck makes it sparkle, turning the moment into something playful, communal, and unexpectedly moving.
What sets her apart is her presence. Pinchuck is both playful and authoritative, the rare performer who makes you feel she’s speaking directly to you while still commanding the whole room. She has the natural storytelling instincts of someone who knows how to build a world, land a punchline, and carry you along for the ride. She’s focused but never heavy-handed, warm without pandering, self-aware without a trace of smugness.
This is comedy with real heart and purpose—the kind of show that sneaks under your skin. You walk in with your own bundle of worries, and you walk out lighter, laughing, and maybe even with a fresh perspective or two tucked away.
It’s good to talk, sure. But it’s even better to laugh—with Pinchuck at the controls. A real find, sharp and assured, with the talent and ideas to go a very long way. Click Here For Review