Prepare to be absolutely double teamed by two of Scotland's most promising upcoming comedic talents! After a sell-out show at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Alan Jay and Matthew Hayhow are bringing Fruit and Vegetable to the Edinburgh Fringe!

ALAN JAY (BBC New Comedy Shortlist, LGBTQ+ Comedian Semi-Finalist)

From the rough streets of Glasgow to the stage, Alan Jay has become a popular face on the Scottish comedy scene for his ability to turn hard times into hilarity, using his upbeat nature and endearing charm to dance around the silly and macabre with ease.

“Big brain jokes, the crowd absolutely loved him. Really feels like part of the upcoming crowd in comedy." - The Stand

"Fearless funny man." - Comedy Dundee

MATTHEW HAYHOW

Since rolling onto the comedy circuit, Matthew Hayhow has taken his special brand of charm, clever jokes and unique point of view to the Edinburgh Fringe, BBC Radio Scotland, and venues all around the country.

"A very talented joke writer." - Comedy Dundee

"Totally stormed it." - Susan Morrison

"Fruit and Vegetable" is a hilariously obscene double bill of stand-up comedy that if you don’t enjoy, you have only the 2010 Equality Act to blame.

August 15, 2025    One4Review

A double-header at 11 a.m. in the Fringe can feel like a high-risk experiment: half-asleep audiences, a scattering of student tourists, and that general “gap-year chaos” energy. What you don’t expect is a set so devastatingly funny that it feels like it belongs in prime time — and one of the strongest double bills of the entire festival. Bold statement? Absolutely.
First up is Matthew Hayhow, another standout from the Livingston comedy mafia. If he keeps this up, he could very well be the new don. Wheelchair-bound with MS, Hayhow wins the crowd instantly. His handling of his condition is fearless, sharp, and utterly hilarious. From the off, he’s taking everyone down with razor-sharp riffs covering Lord of the Rings, sex workers, the Vatican, Stephen Hawking, Epstein Island, and the shocking lack of ramps at entertainment venues. The set is a rollercoaster of smart, biting humour — three jokes alone could be contenders for Pick of the Fringe. Hayhow has clearly earned his stripes, and his trajectory looks like it’s heading straight into the fast lane.
Next, the brilliant Alan Jay takes the stage. He’s almost the mirror image of Hayhow in style, but every bit as compelling. Growing up gay in Castlemilk, he recounts coming out to his dad — with all the caveats and complications that implies — and navigates a mostly straight audience through the world of Rice and Potato Queens with impeccable charm. Jay’s timing and stagecraft are superb, reminiscent of an early Stephen Bailey (who also played the same venue years ago), but with his own killer put-downs and a voice that’s entirely his own.
Together, Hayhow and Jay make for a Scottish comedy dream team: sharp, fearless, and on the rise. They balance each other perfectly — one wild and incendiary, the other polished and pointed — yet both share that rare gift of connecting instantly with their audience. The result is a set that’s both riotously funny and oddly heartwarming, a reminder that the best comedy is not just about the laughs, but about the characters and perspectives that bring them to life.
This double bill is a must-see for anyone looking for the next generation of Scottish comics at the top of their game. Whether you catch them together or separately, Alan Jay and Matthew Hayhow prove that the Fringe is alive and thriving with bold, original voices that demand attention. Click Here For Review