Ed Byrne brings show to Ipswich Corn Exchange in December

Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time will arrive at the Ipswich Corn Exchange on Wednesday, December 11.  

The title is from the quote attributed to Mark Twain who said that humour is defined by Tragedy Plus Time and the comedian is set to share the most impactful moments in his life for laughs. 

This is an extension of his nationwide tour which will now continue until April 2025 - almost two years after he began performing it. 

The show is called Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time (Image: Roslyn Gaunt) Ed Byrne said: " It's something of a departure, and I’m slightly worried about that. I’ve never really had the desire to write a show that had an overly serious element to it. I got a lot of five-star reviews on the last show [2019’s If I’m Honest], but some four-star ones that opined, ‘well it’s funny, but that’s all it is.

"As if that’s not enough these days. Frankly, just being funny is a furrow I’ve been happy to occupy. But this new show features some heart-wrenching, soul-bearing stuff.” 

For Tragedy Plus Time he ventures into the world of grief and loss a decision prompted by the passing of his younger brother Paul, aged just 44, in February 2022. 

The comedian said: “I was in two minds about whether to do a show of this nature. Then I decided this was the subject I was going to tackle but I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. But once I started down that road, that was it. Then my main worry was, how funny is it going to be and is it going to work?” 

“Obviously I don’t want the whole thing to be an onslaught. That’s partly because of the digressions, and that’s why they’re there.

"But they also illustrate how grief works in that you can still have a good time, you can still be happy, you can still have a laugh about other things and be frivolous. But grief is always there waiting for you when you’re done with being silly." 

Ed Byrne is touring nationwide (Image: Roslyn Gaunt) With his TV career now in its third decade, he regularly appeared on the likes of QI, Mock The Week, The Graham Norton Show, Comic Relief Bake Off and many more. 

He was recently seen as a contestant on BBC One's Celebrity Best Home Cook and also won celebrity versions of both The Chase and Pointless. 

The doors open at 6.30pm and the show starts at 7.30pm with top priced tickets at £35.20. 

Tickets are available now.