Chambers Touring Presents
Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck in the Middle (East) with You
Pleasance Courtyard – Upstairs: 5th – 30th August: 5:30pm
Leicester Comedy Award 2025: Nominee
NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy 2025: Nominee
BBC New Comedy Awards 2024: Midlands Regional Finalist
Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2023: Winner
Hot on the heels of a sold out and extended debut run last year, the award-winning stand-up comedian Hasan Al-Habib will be bringing his new show Stuck in the Middle (East) with You to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. performing at Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs, 5th – 31st August at 5.30pm.
A show that stems from his parents divorce, family and what happens when love and resentment sit side by side, Stuck in the Middle (East) with You takes a clear-eyed but often very funny look at growing up in a household defined by conflict, approaching difficult material with a lightness that never undercuts it.
Finding humour in experiences that might otherwise feel impossible to articulate, Hasan’s latest work offers a candid and deeply personal exploration of his relationship with his mother. Shaped by a childhood marked by his parents’ separation and the enduring impact of their divorce, he reflects on growing up as the eldest of three children in an Iraqi immigrant family, and how distance, conflict and reconciliation have informed his understanding of love, responsibility and belonging.
Through an unflinching yet nuanced lens, Hasan examines the contradictions within family dynamics, where love, loyalty and resentment coexist. Drawing on experiences of estrangement, grief and domestic abuse within his family, he addresses the confusion and shame that followed, particularly as a young man. Despite this, the breakdown of his relationship with his mother has been accompanied by a growing closeness with his sisters, with shared experiences strengthening their bond.
Comedy emerges not only as a career path but as a vital means of processing and understanding these experiences. From studying for a PhD at Cambridge while pursuing stand-up, to finding community and support through friendships forged on the circuit, it becomes central to how Hasan navigates his life, serving both as an escape and a tool for expression, giving voice to stories that might otherwise remain unspoken.
Hasan Al-Habib is a practising Muslim who appears as one of the pilgrims in the new series of Pilgrimage, the popular factual show on BBC Two, where seven celebrities of diverse faith walk a religious route, and whose stand-ups videos and sketches have over 20 million views on social media. Elsewhere, his other tv audio credits include as a semi-finalist on BBC New Comedy Awards (BBC Three), One Person Found This Helpful and Evil Genius (both for BBC Radio 4). Hasan sold out his double act show 2 Muslim 2 Furious at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 and 2025, making his solo debut in 2025 with Death To The West (Midlands), which sold out its entire run to rave reviews, including six extra shows, and received nominations for Best Debut at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards and NextUp Following a sold-out run with the show at Soho Theatre Upstairs in November, extra dates were added at Soho Theatre Downstairs earlier this year, with the show touring the UK this Spring and an extension just announced for Autumn 2026 due to demand.
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What the Press said about Death to the West (Midlands)
“…has cultivated an agile, reactive wit, mastery of accents and shifting persona to deflect the condescension and micro-aggressions he’s endured” ★★★★ The Scotsman
“The ebullient Brummie whips up huge laughs here, and while his tales don’t always ring entirely true, you should leave feeling a little more enlightened too.” ★★★★ Fest
“All-in-all, an accomplished debut.” ★★★★ Chortle
“Al-Habib is absolutely one to watch ” ★★★★ The Skinny
Listings Information
Show: Hasan Al-Habib: Stuck in the Middle (East) with You
Dates: 5th – 30th August (not 18th)
Time: 17:30
Venue: Pleasance Courtyard: Upstairs
Address: 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ
Price: Preview £10 / £13 – £15 (concessions available)
Box Office: www.edfringe.com / www.pleasance.co.uk
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