Edinburgh fringe: Former Leicester pub landlord set for comedy gigs

Alex Hylton will perform his new show, 'Love, Probably' throughout August

The former landlord of a Leicester pub has stepped down to focus on a career in comedy - and is gracing the Edinburgh Festival Fringe stage just weeks after pouring his last pint.

Alex Hylton will be among 3,000 artists performing at the prestigious festival in the Scottish capital in August.

The former landlord of The Salmon, in Butt Close Lane, will perform his new show Love, Probably 24 times.

He will perform at The Mash House at 19:15 BST until 28th August.

It is the second time the 26-year-old has hosted a full run at the festival, he previously played in 2019.

He said: "I adored The Salmon but the pub and stand-up were getting in the way of each other and I had to choose, so I gave up the pub last month.

"I've appeared at the fringe a few times but this is only my second full run with my own full-length show.

"It's awesome being back in Edinburgh, it's an absolute luxury performing your show every day to comedy fans from all over the world.

"Also, there's a little pie shop in about every 10 feet of Scotland, which is a massive bonus."

His 24-show run started at the Fringe festival on Thursday night

Mr Hylton's show, which he says could be comedy's first stand-up romcom, has been inspired by "falling in love during the best and worst year" of his life.

The Leicester Comedy Festival award-winner believes his new show is his best work to date.

Mr Hylton, who is from Stafford, added: "I think this show is the best thing I've ever made, which either says a lot about the show or about everything I've ever done before.

"The first show I performed that was eligible for awards won 'best show' at Leicester Comedy Festival 2020, just before the first lockdown.

"Normally the act that wins there gets a lot of attention in Edinburgh - Romesh Ranganathan has won it in years gone.

"It felt like it was going to be a big year for me then coronavirus happened. When it came to writing my second show, a 'difficult second album' if you like, I wanted to do something a bit different and prove I'm not just a one trick pony."