Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Stand up star Sunil Patel rides Faster Horses into Edinburgh Fringe

Stand up star Sunil Patel rides Faster Horses into Edinburgh Fringe

Acclaimed stand-up star Sunil Patel has galloped into this year’s Edinburgh Fringe festival with his latest show Faster Horses.

The award-winning comedian follows up multiple television appearances and big performances on the live circuit with a laughter-filled show that runs throughout August.


The gag-filled show looks at everything, from his own failed enterprises, crypto bros, and lockdown business ideas to arguing that people don’t know what they want until they get it.

Eastern Eye caught up with the funny British Asian talent to discuss his new show and connection to comedy.

What is it that first drew you towards stand-up comedy?

Probably when I bought Lee Evans Live on VHS in HMV on Oxford Street in the 90s. I wanted to buy something with my saved-up pocket money, panicked and bought it because it was on display. It was mind-blowing. I couldn’t stop watching that tape and made all my friends come round and watch it.

What has been your most memorable moment in comedy so far?

Probably the three hours I spent improvising a scene with Anne Hathaway and Roger Federer for a Swiss tourism film. She had an idea for a scene where I called her fat. I don’t think it made it to the final edit.

What inspired your Edinburgh Fringe show Faster Horses?

It’s from a Henry Ford quote – “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. I guess he was saying you should ignore people and just get on with your vision. I’m not sure I agree, but then I haven’t invented the car, have I?

Tell us about the show?

Well, I thought my stand-up career was over when the pandemic started, and I had to think of something else to do with my life, so tried to write down business ideas every day. They were all awful. So, this show is about all those ideas, and the approximately 40 jobs I’ve had in my life. It’s a bit like Dragon’s Den but the audience are the dragons.

Have you ever been on or near a really fast horse?

No, I am allergic to horses.

Do you ever get nervous before going on stage?

Yes, always. If I didn’t, I would probably do very badly on stage.

Who is your own comedy hero?

I don’t think I have a hero really. I mean I love watching stand-up but haven’t laughed harder at anything than I did at that guy who slid down the steps into the Thames with his top off a few years ago. Okay, maybe he is my hero?

What do you love about the Edinburgh Fringe festival?

The weather. Rainy, cold, dark. Love it. Can’t stand London in August, it’s too hot. Also, Edinburgh is just a beautiful city to be in and you can walk everywhere (in the rain).

What is it that inspires you as a comedian?

I guess it’s just anything I find funny, from my friends, to silly things that happen to me, to hour-long reviews of mid-priced hatchbacks on YouTube.

Has comedy and being funny ever got you in trouble?

Yeah, all the time. I fell off a chair at sc­hool when I was fi­ve, and everyone laughed, so I did it again and then got told off. I think that incident set the tone for the rest of my life.

Why should we come watch your show at Edinburgh Fringe?

There’s nothing else on at 1.55pm, and I’m not taking a single day off.

Sunil Patel: Faster Horses is on until Sunday August 28 at Monkey Barrel Comedy, 9-12 Blair Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR. www.edfringe.com

More For You

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan’s journey of heart and heritage: From Himalayan tales to global acclaim

When Jasbinder Bilan first paused her teaching career to pursue a creative writing degree, she had no idea it would lead to a life-changing breakthrough. What began as a leap of faith became a journey filled with hope, rejection and ultimately triumph. Inspired by her beloved grandmother and her Indian roots, Bilan poured her soul into her debut manuscript Song of the Mountain. Though the publishing world was not immediately ready for her story, perseverance paid off when she won the 2016 Times Chicken House Prize, launching her celebrated writing career. Now, following the success of her Costa Award-winning Asha and the Spirit Bird, Bilan returns with a powerful new historical adventure, Naeli and the Secret Song. In this exclusive interview, she speaks about the emotional inspiration behind the book, her love for young readers and the importance of believing in your voice — no matter how long it takes to be heard.

What first connected you to writing?
It was stories more than writing that were my first love. My grandmother, Majee, was the storyteller in our house and it was those bonding moments that sparked my love for creating my own stories. She told me lots of Indian folk tales at bedtime, but she also shared stories of our life in India on the farm near the foothills of the Himalaya. So, I grew up feeling connected to a place that I then filled with my imagination. As a little girl I loved drawing and writing, and always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a long time to make that dream come true.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler’s ‘Evita’ Performance Sparks Broadway Buzz

Rachel Zegler stuns in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita as Palladium crowds grow nightly

Instagram/officialevita

Rachel Zegler shines in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ as West End hit eyes Broadway transfer

Quick highlights:

 
     
  • Rachel Zegler plays Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical Evita revival at the London Palladium.
  •  
  • A viral moment features Zegler singing live from the theatre’s balcony to crowds on the street.
  •  
  • Lloyd’s stripped-down staging amps up visuals and sound but sacrifices storytelling depth.
  •  
  • Talks are on for a Broadway transfer as early as 2026 with Zegler confirmed to reprise her role.
  •  
 

Rachel Zegler commands the London stage as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s daring reimagining of Evita, a production that trades subtlety for spectacle and could soon be heading to Broadway.

Following the success of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd’s signature stripped-down style meets rock concert intensity in this revived version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical. Zegler, in only her second major stage role, dazzles with commanding vocals and presence, even as critics debate the show’s dramatic clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less
K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanpur 1857 play

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 'Kanpur: 1857'

Pleasance

Niall Moorjani brings colonial history to life with powerful new play 'Kanpur: 1857'

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Kanpur: 1857, an explosive new play that fuses biting satire, history and heartfelt storytelling. Written, co-directed and performed by Moorjani, alongside fellow actor and collaborator Jonathan Oldfield, the show dives into the bloody uprising against British colonial rule in 1857 India, focusing on the brutal events in Kanpur.

At its centre is an Indian rebel, played by Moorjani, strapped to a cannon and forced to recount a version of events under the watchful eye of a British officer.

Keep ReadingShow less