Francesco De Carlo: Comfort Zone

Some people have been affected by Brexit more than others. Francesco De Carlo—a successful comedian in Italy—moved to the UK after the 2016 referendum to ensure he was settled before the shutters went down. As he wryly notes, this means Brexit has caused immigration.

Remarks such as these pepper his set. Much of his humour examines cultural differences between the nation of his birth and the UK, focussing on topics such as food and alcohol. He rightly remarks that the UK is the European leader in crisp flavours. And his international status is even more evident as he used to work for the European Parliament, a job so boring it was what led him to doing stand up. Given these backgrounds his comedy covers political topics such as the rise of populism and Trump's mindboggling behaviour. While many Fringe comedians cover similar material, subjects such as immigration are given an added piquancy here as they directly affect the performer talking about them.

It would be good if he were more forthright in those views, as he seems wary of being too didactic in his material. As such this is a gentle and amusing hour, rather than one using humour to think through pressing matters of concern. But he ends by noting that one of the reasons he likes the UK is because of cultural events like the Fringe that bring people together from all over the world. And that's why, for these three weeks in August, Brexit will always be laughable.