Mark Bittlestone

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

13 June 1993 (age 32)
Hammersmith, London, England
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
OccupationStand-up comedian
Years active2012–present
Websitemarkbittlestone.com

Mark Christopher Bittlestone (born 13 June 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.

Early life

Bittlestone was born on 13 June 1993 in the district of Hammersmith[2][3] and attended King's College School in Wimbledon, London.[4] He studied history at the University of Cambridge, attaining a Double First.[5]

Bittlestone is both openly gay and an adult orphan which inspired some of his earliest stand up material exploring the topics of homosexuality, death and grief.[6][7] His mother Jean was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma in February 2010 and died in April 2011[8][9] and his father Robert, author of Odysseus Unbound, committed suicide in May 2015.[8][10]

Career

Bittlestone was a member of the Cambridge Footlights,[11][12] writing for and performing in a variety of shows during his time at university.[13] One of these shows, 'Babushka', transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, marking his first appearance as a performer at the performing arts festival.[14]

Bittlestone's debut solo show, 'Pity Laughs', was first performed in Cambridge in January 2017.[15][16] Later that year he collaborated with Will Dalrymple and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in a split bill show named 'Pity Laughs: A Tale of Two Gays'. A reworked version of the show returned in 2018.[17][18]

In 2019, Bittlestone and fellow Footlight Haydn Jenkins devised and performed in a comedy sketch show called 'Llaugh'.[19] The duo appeared in the Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off final in 2019 and 2020.[20][21]

Bittlestone returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 with a split bill show named 'Two Sour Gays' alongside Chris Hall.[22]

In 2023, Bittlestone appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in a solo show named 'Poofs "R" Us'.[23] During that year he supported Eshaan Akbar on his tour.[24]

Bittlestone performed his debut solo hour, 'I Need a Straight Guy' at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe.[25][26][27][28][29] He was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards.[30] The show was named because he needed a heterosexual male in the audience for the through line to work.[31][32] It went on tour at various venues across the United Kingdom in May and June 2025.[33]

Podcast appearances

Bittlestone is a joint host of the Dirty Laundry podcast, along with Jamie D'Souza. The show went on hiatus in October 2024.[34]

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[35]
2021 Celebrity Prelash Series 1, episode 7[36]
2022 Chatting with Cherubs Episode 15[37]
2023 My Mum Made Me Series 2, episode 4[38]
2023 Didn't Ask for Agony Episode 21[39]
2023 Our Dads Died Series 2, episode 8[8]
2024 There Will Be Film Episode 22[40]
2024 The Bold Shout Podcast Episode 6[41]
2025 My Mate Bought A Toaster Series 9, episode 18[42]
2025 My Bad Episode 4[43]

References

  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 Bittlestone [@markbittlestone]; (7 June 2025). "Folks we have only three more dates left on this tour!" – via Instagram.
  3. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Kiam's Interviewshow: Mark Bittlestone On Talking about his Comedy, Being Gay and Tutoring". YouTube. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Mark Bittlestone Private Tutor". Wentworth Education. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  6. ^ Shaw, Rhiannon (2017-01-21). "Varsity: Crying with laughter". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  7. ^ Reynolds, Eliza (2017-01-24). "Review: Pity Laughs". The Tab. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  8. ^ a b c Gerken, Tom; Spalding, Rich (27 October 2023). "Mark Bittlestone joins the pod!" (Podcast). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Jean Bittlestone obituary". The Times powered by Legacy. 2011-05-04. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  10. ^ "Odysseus Unbound - Robert Bittlestone". Odysseus Unbound: the Search for Homer’s Ithaca. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-05-29. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  11. ^ Bennett, Steve (2018-05-24). "Mark Bittlestone: Pity Laughs review". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  12. ^ "Mark Bittlestone Comedy CV". Comedy CV. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  13. ^ "Person: Mark Bittlestone". Camdram. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  14. ^ "Babushka: Edinburgh Fringe". Camdram. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  15. ^ Shaw, Rhiannon (2017-01-21). "Varsity: Crying with laughter". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  16. ^ Mackinlay, Holly (2017-01-25). "Review: Pity Laughs". Varsity. Archived from the original on 2017-01-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Previous Work: Pity Laughs". StraightUp Productions. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  19. ^ Bullen, Damian (2019-08-16). "Mark and Haydn: Llaugh". Mumble Comedy. Archived from the original on 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  20. ^ Bennett, Steve (2019-02-25). "Sketch Off Final 2019". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  21. ^ Bennett, Steve (2020-03-16). "Sketch Off Final 2020". Chortle. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe 10x10: Top Marks". Chortle. 2023-07-18. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  24. ^ "Mark Bittlestone". Intertalent. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  25. ^ Davies, Ashley (2024-08-24). "Mark Bittlestone: I Need A Straight Guy review". Chortle. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  26. ^ Anderson, Mica (2024-08-21). "REVIEW: Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy". A Young(ish) Perspective. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  27. ^ Quinn, WJ (2024-09-01). "EdFringe Review: Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy". theQR.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  28. ^ Fortune, Anne-Louise (2024-08-04). "Edinburgh Fringe: Mark Bittlestone – I Need A Straight Guy". Brig Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  29. ^ Ibbotson-Wight, Kevin (2024-08-20). "Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy". The Wee Review. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  30. ^ "ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards announces 2024 shortlists". Chortle. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  31. ^ "Mark Bittlestone taLks about I NEED A STRAIGHT MAN". YouTube. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  32. ^ "Funny At The Fringe – INTERVIEW – Mark Bittlestone: I Need a Straight Guy". The Phoenix Remix. 2 July 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  33. ^ Mark Bittlestone [@markbittlestone]; (12 March 2025). "It agonises me more than anyone else to repost this..." – via Instagram.
  34. ^ "Dirty Laundry with Jamie DSouza and Mark Bittlestone". PodBean. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  35. ^ Juden, Matt; Ross, Gee (14 November 2020). "Mark Bittlestone" (Podcast). Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ 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.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ D'Arcy Roberts, Nathan; Regan, Heidi; Laws, Stewart (23 January 2024). "Mark Bittlestone & the Bourne Perineum" (Podcast). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  41. ^ Stenhaug, Thor; Abela, Jack (10 July 2024). "Episode 6 - Mark Bittlestone" (Podcast). Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  42. ^ Price, Tom (20 February 2025). "Mark Bittlestone shares EVERYTHING on his Amazon history" (Podcast). Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  43. ^ Rees, Morgan (23 April 2025). "My 999 Body Count Bet? - Mark Bittlestone - Ep 4" (Podcast). Retrieved 4 June 2025.
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