MILTON JONES

Ealing Comedy Festival 2010: Walpole Park, Ealing, London, 2010
The Pleasance Late Show: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2013
Milton Jones: On the High Road: Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, 2013
Ealing Comedy Festival 2014: Walpole Park, Ealing, London, 2014
Barry Cryer and Friends: An 80th Birthday Celebration: Palace Theatre, London, 2015
Milton Jones and the Temple of Daft: Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, 2015
Headliners Comedy Club: Chiswick, London, 2016
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield, Kennington, London, 2017
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2018
Milton Jones: Milton Impossible: Assembly Hall, Edinburgh, 2019
Comedy at The Covid Arms: Online: 2020
Always Be Comedy Online: Online: 2020
Outside The Box Comedy Club: The Royal Oak, New Malden, London, 2020
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2021
Milton Jones: Milton Impossible: Udderbelly, Earls Court, London, 2022
Always Be Comedy: The Tommyfield pub, Kennington, London, 2023
Always Be Comedy: Sambrook’s Brewery, Wandsworth, London, 2023 

To see Milton Jones perform a twenty minute set on a comedy bill is wonderful.  This wild-haired, loud shirt wearing bemused comedian is one of the greatest one-line joke comics currently playing the circuit.  Along with Tim Vine, Stuart Francis and Darren Walsh, Jones delivers pun style jokes with a slight degree of over anxiety and he always produces well thought out jokes that are beautifully timed and delivered.  The word craft in the construction of his quick fire jokes is amazing to watch and very, very funny.  He is a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe and has appeared many times on TV.

After watching him many times over the years, I finally met him at Always Be Comedy in 2017.  In order to encourage the audience, I am sometimes asked by MC James Gill to sing the opening lines of Livin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi.  Why, I have no idea but I duly oblige, the audience happily sing along and is ready for the next act.  One night I did this, sat down and the MC welcomed Milton Jones to the stage.  He looked straight at me and said ‘Mmm, I thought I was weird!’ to which I nearly fell off my seat laughing.

Towards the end of a difficult week, Jones easily cheered me up when he appeared at Always Be Comedy in November 2018.  His appearance – the big-coloured shirt, mass of unkept hair and innocent or bewildered look into the audience – is funny in itself.  But above all, his execution of perfectly crafted short jokes and stories told at his own pace with expert timing is utterly brilliant.  Even asking me to be quiet by saying ‘sshh!’ to me very quietly as I was laughing so hard from the front row at him – this gesture made me laugh even more!  At the end of his set, I gave him a standing ovation and he high fived me!

In August 2019, I went to see Jones’ new solo show Milton Impossible at the Edinburgh Fringe.  A festival favourite, the jokes and puns were hung on a spy story and routines involving flags and cities were inspired and very funny.

Jones headlined Comedy at The Covid Arms online in June 2020 and Always Be Comedy Online in August 2020 (with a special appearance by fellow pun master Stewart Francis) where again his quick-fire puns and hilarious delivery won over the crowd.

The comedian was a joy to see back live on stage for Outside The Box Comedy in October 2020 and again at Always Be Comedy in July 2021.  He perfectly delivered a string of brilliantly funny one-line jokes so much so that I couldn’t stop laughing a one of them and he paused his routine waiting for me to catch up which the audience loved.

In May 2022, I saw Jones again perform his show Milton Impossible at the Udderbelly, Earls Court, London in May 2022.  It didn’t matter that I had seen the show in 2019, the comedian as ever was on brilliant form and the audience loved him.

The master pun comic returned to Always Be Comedy at Kennington in February 2023 and at Wandsworth in May 2023.  The delivery of every bemused line and look to the audience brought the house down. One member of the audience interrupted so often saying that he had only just got the joke and Jones’ replies asking if he should start the set again and asking if the audience member had caught up were brilliant remarks in a wonderful routine.

Jones is one of the absolute best one-line gag-tellers currently working on the comedy circuit.  I always look forward to seeing him and for sheer laughs, he is highly recommended.

 

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