![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_2032-03c2-e1754571139214.jpg\")
\n\t\tOff the back of her appearance in Last One Laughing UK, Harriet Kemsley hosted a comedy show in an unexpected location (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tOff the back of her appearance in Last One Laughing UK, Harriet Kemsley hosted a comedy show in an unexpected location (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n
Being in a hotel room at the Edinburgh Fringe<\/a> with 20 strangers might sound odd to some, slightly exciting to a few, but to me, it sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime luxury.<\/p>\n Especially compared to the accommodation Hunger Games<\/a> that usually unfold during the festival. That\u2019s the kind of cut-throat housing competition that sees improv troupes battling it out for a chance to stay in Gladys\u2019s airing cupboard in Leith (story for another time).<\/p>\n So when I heard that 38-year-old Harriet Kemsley was hosting guests in her hotel room as part of her new show, In Bed With\u2026Harriet Kemsley, I knew I had to be there to witness the magic for myself. After all, it\u2019s not every day a comedian invites you upstairs\u2026<\/p>\n Fresh off the back of her appearance on Amazon Prime Video<\/a>\u2019s Last One Laughing UK<\/a>, which drew 6.1million viewers and became one of the streamer\u2019s most-watched original shows, Kemsley returned to the Fringe with a lot to live up to after making it mainstream.<\/p>\n And rightly so \u2014 she\u2019s undeniably a big dog now.<\/p>\n \t\t \t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway newsletter\t\t\t<\/p>\n Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Down a cobbled street, the show was held at the Hotel Indigo, York Place, where I\u2019d been invited to stay for the weekend.<\/p>\n On the morning of the performance, I headed down for breakfast (of course, the full Edinburgh, haggis and all), and as I took my first sip of black coffee<\/a>, still half-asleep, I heard the familiar shuffle of sliders on polished floorboards. <\/p>\n I looked up, and there she was: Kemsley herself, settling at the table next to mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n At first, I wondered: Is this part of the show?<\/p>\n An immersive, day-long experience where she roams the halls, joins guests for breakfast, and debates the appropriate shade of a cup of tea? Sadly not. <\/p>\n She was simply grabbing a vegetarian full English before service wrapped up, but a boy can dream. Regardless, my excitement to head upstairs to her hotel room had officially peaked.<\/p>\n \t\t Hours later, Harriet did, in fact, take me back to her hotel room \u2013 along with 19 other eager strangers \u2013 for what turned out to be the most unexpectedly cosy, clever and personal set I\u2019ve seen at the Fringe.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t know what to expect. After all, if she could fire ping pong balls from her nether regions at Daisy May Cooper and Richard Ayoade on national television, what on earth might she do in a hotel room? (Get your head out of the gutter.)<\/p>\n Inside, she was perched cross-legged on a double bed, framed by four plush pillows and tucked beneath crisp white hotel linens, the kind you have to foot wrestle with on night one. <\/p>\n If I\u2019m being honest, I\u2019d walked the corridor in single file with the rest of the audience, feeling a tad apprehensive. But once inside, the room transformed into something familiar and warm.<\/p>\n \t\t It felt like heading into your friend\u2019s bedroom the morning after a big night out for a debrief. She held court, and we, her devoted subjects. I knew I was about to see something special.<\/p>\n The irony of a stand-up show performed entirely sitting down was enough to make me chuckle, but the material stood entirely on its own. <\/p>\n The tight, half-hour set delivered joke after joke, and I found myself laughing in a way that made me sympathise with her Last One Laughing co-stars.<\/p>\n Covering the trials of being newly single following her 2024 divorce from fellow comedian Bobby Mair, Kemsley\u2019s authority and authenticity were magnetic. <\/p>\n From navigating an amicable split and re-entering the dating world, to choking on Lego, knees pressed against the edge of the \u2018stage\u2019 (aka the bed), I was witnessing a seasoned pro at work, one who knows her voice and what resonates.<\/p>\n Winning over the nation on television is one thing. Translating that energy into a tiny hotel room for a dozen people is another entirely. It was a masterclass in intimacy and comedic control.<\/p>\n A Fringe and comedy veteran, Kemsley began her stand-up career in 2011, quickly rising through the ranks. She\u2019s long been outspoken about the challenges the Edinburgh Fringe poses to emerging performers. <\/p>\n \t\t In an Instagram post following her 2022 show Honeysuckle Island, she described the Fringe as \u2018really weird and sometimes not in a good way,\u2019 commenting on the \u2018horrible pressure\u2019 placed on artists, and advocating for the Festival to be a space for experimentation and fun.<\/p>\n Speaking with her after the show, she reflected on being in a \u2018lucky position now\u2019, free from some of the pressures she faced early on, but was quick to stress that more support is still needed for newcomers. <\/p>\n Specifically, how the financial strain of coming to the Fringe often shuts out underrepresented voices, meaning it\u2019s usually the same kinds of acts that can afford to take the risk.<\/p>\n Part of that support, she said, is as simple as showing up. Seeing new performers. Filling seats. <\/p>\n Over a drink in Indigo\u2019s newly refurbished bar and lounge, Kemsley rattled off timings, venues and names like a living, breathing Fringe encyclopaedia. She insisted I see Sharon Wanjohi\u2019s In the House \u2013 which I did, and was utterly obsessed with. (Seriously, don\u2019t miss it if you\u2019re heading up this month.)\u00a0<\/p>\n While financial support for artists at the Fringe still lags where it should be, I left feeling quietly hopeful. <\/p>\n With voices like Kemsley\u2019s leading the conversation, change feels not just possible but probable.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s hoping next year brings even more hotel room performances, just maybe not in Gladys\u2019s airing cupboard (as I said, story for another time). <\/p>\n Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_2087-a955-e1754470573151.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe Fringe runs from August 1-25, with over 50,000 shows in the heart of Edinburgh (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_2007-3bf5-e1754469198647.jpg\")
\n\t\tBreakfast with the star? How immersive can one show get? (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1984-8d61-e1754469267303.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe intimacy of the stage and venue was undeniable (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1994-7936-e1754469334255.jpg\")
\n\t\tIn discussion with the act, Kemsley highlighted the lack of support for artists and underrepresented voices at the Fringe (Picture: Alexander O\u2019Loughlin)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Red Arrows flight path: Where and when to see this weekend\u2019s displays<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: I took my family on a digital detox holiday and something extraordinary happened<\/a><\/p>\n