Comedian - Richard Todd - Comedy in Your Eye

Comedian - Richard Todd - Comedy: The Absurdist Wordsmith with a Skewwhiff Mind

In a comedy landscape often filled with the familiar, Richard Todd stands out as a truly unique and idiosyncratic talent. He is a comedian, a writer, and an illustrator, a multi-talented creative whose work defies easy categorisation. Critics have tried, with descriptions ranging from the perfectly apt "a talent entirely of his own" to the brilliantly bizarre "painfully funny like finding The Fall guesting on X-Factor". When you watch Richard Todd, you are not just seeing a stand-up; you are entering an eccentrically created world, guided by a master wordsmith with a wonderfully skewwhiff mind.   

Richard began his stand-up journey in 2011, making the career move partly as a way to get a handle on his mental health, putting to the test the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. This honest and often vulnerable underpinning gives his comedy a surprising depth. Parallel to his rise on the circuit, he has cultivated a career as a talented illustrator. This is not just a hobby; his artistic skills have seen him facilitate art workshops for vulnerable adults, a contribution that led to him being recognised by The Big Issue as one of their top 100 change-makers in 2019. This profound sense of empathy and community involvement shines through in his work, grounding his surreal flights of fancy with a palpable sense of humanity.   

The highly original comedian Richard Todd delivers a unique brand of absurdist comedy, turning everyday tales of feeling out of place into magical, lyrical journeys. His style is defined by a luxurious and masterful command of the English language. He has a gift for "constructing complex, bewilderingly intricate sentences from the far reaches of a vast vocabulary," with a penchant for what has been described as "rococo language". This isn't just about using big words; it's about creating a rich, textured, and often hilarious world with them. His act is frank, self-deprecating, and built on honest reflections of his life. The team at Angel Comedy Club noted that audiences often mistake him for a 'character act', so perfectly weird are his turns of phrase, only to be told that this is genuinely Richard through and through—a testament to his undeniable authenticity.   

His unique approach has brought a cascade of achievements. He is the winner of the prestigious Amused Moose Laugh Off and was a New Act Finalist at the Leicester Square Theatre. He has written and performed multiple critically acclaimed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, including his five-star reviewed 2018 show 'We Need The Eggs'. His talent was recognised early on when he was named Chortle's 'One to Watch' for 2018. Perhaps the achievement that best encapsulates his multi-faceted talent is 'Spatulahead', an animated short he wrote for Channel 4's Random Acts programme. The film, a perfect fusion of his writing, comedic, and illustrative sensibilities, was a resounding success, being selected for international film festivals in Toronto, Melbourne, and London, and earning a nomination for a Royal Television Society award. He even has awards for his poster designs, winning at the Brighton Fringe and being nominated at the Leicester Comedy Festival.   

To explore the brilliantly bizarre world of Richard Todd, his official website cheekily invites you to "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!". You can also follow his creative endeavours on Instagram (@richardtoddtodd) and Twitter (@richardtoddtodd). He is an undeniable talent, and if you have never seen him, you are in for a real treat.   

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