Rob Rouse: My Family… And The Dog That Scared Jesus: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2009
The Best of The Comedy Store: The Comedy Store, London, 2014
Rob Rouse: Through The Looking Ass: The Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh, 2014
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2016
Play: Funny in Real Life (Rob Rouse and Helen Rutter): Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh, 2019
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy Online: Kerry Godliman Allstars: Online: 2021
Rob Rouse: No Refunds: Leicester Comedy Festival 2022: Just The Tonic @ Brewdog, Leicester, 2022
Late Night Dirty Scrabble with Rob Rouse and Friends: Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh, 2022
Rob Rouse: No Refunds: Gilded Balloon, Teviot, Edinburgh, 2022
Leicester Comedy Festival 2024: Just The Tonic’s Saturday Night Special: Hansom Hall, Leicester, 2024
The Northern comedian Rob Rouse is an extremely reliable, funny man. An Edinburgh Fringe favourite, I have seen him on a few occasions. His material covers family life (2009’s solo show was about the birth of his son and being the owner of the world’s filthiest dog and 2014’s show focused on the birth of his daughter). The comedy is intelligent and compassionate delivered by one of the most exuberant and likeable performers. In his 2014 show at the Stand in Edinburgh, the late show did not have much of an audience and he would not let the audience leave unless they were laughing and when he performed at Always Be Comedy in 2016, after the set I met him, and he was exceptionally warm and friendly. Rouse is a thought provoking, clever and hilarious comedian.
As I sat in my seat at the Gilded Balloon during 2019’s Edinburgh Fringe, Rouse bound onto the stage at 11am in the morning to start his set. He covered every subject in his routine from sex to family and home life and was prone to oversharing with the audience. Unbeknown to me, after about ten minutes into his act his wife Helen Rutter was sitting next to me, got up and interrupted his set. As she made a noise from her seat, I thought the woman was ill or wanted to leave the room, but she was angry with her husband and joined him on stage to object about being ridiculed by his jokes.
Both extremely likeable performers, Rob Rouse (stand-up comedian) and Helen Rutter (actor and writer) are real-life husband and wife. Funny in Real Life deconstructed the art form of a stand-up comedian in a very clever, honest, thought-provoking, and extremely funny way. By the end of the hour, they received a well-deserved standing ovation from the very enthused lunchtime crowd after creating and starring in one of my favourite Edinburgh Fringe shows of 2019.
Rouse triumphantly returned in September 2020 as a guest for Always Be Comedy Online streaming live from his garage with a wonderful array of daft stories based on his experiences of lockdown. During the routine, he tried to sell his old caravan to the audience with hilarious results. Rouse’s has a brilliantly funny webpage at www.patreon.com/robrouse featuring previous shows and new material.
Rouse made a guest appearance for a charity show, Always Be Comedy Online: Kerry Godliman Allstars in April 2021. Broadcasting from his car, it was another inspired turn.
I watched the comedian’s brand-new show No Refunds at the Leicseter Comedy Festival in February 2022. The exceptional daft and hysterically funny show included seemingly never-ending songs, teaching the audience French and what not to do at zoom meetings. Easily one of the best shows of the year, it was so entertaining, and I could not stop laughing.
I watched Late Night Dirty Scrabble with Rob Rouse and Friends at the Gilded Balloon Teviot as part of the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2022. Rouse kept some semblance of control as he and his comedy guests played a live version of the board game Scrabble each coming up with more and more elaborate rude words. The format was funny and created a very entertaining evening. I also watched again at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2022 Rouse’s gloriously funny solo show No Refunds which was expertly put together and had the packed audience in tears of laughter.
Rouse was an amazing compere for Just The Tonic’s Saturday Night Special for the Leicester Comedy Festival in February 2024. Effortlessly engaging with the audience, the experienced funny man commanded the stage and was hysterical.
It is always a joy to watch Rouse and I look forward to seeing him live on stage again soon.