When it comes to London’s creative industries, there’s a niche event for just about everyone. The same can be said for its stand-up comedy scene. Though the spaces that don’t resemble a classic “my wife sucks” boys’ club remain fairly limited. But not all hope is lost. There’s one comic who should certainly be on your radar, working to change that reality.
Emily Bampton is a stand-up comedian and the founder of Comedy in Ruins. While her stand up nights are focused on getting the audience to laugh their asses off, Bampton carefully selects each lineup in an effort to platform POC and queer voices specifically. No more “gay” jokes from Mr. Straight Man at the local comedy club. Instead, audiences can expect a whole new range of “my wife (as a wife) sucks” and “gay” jokes from those INSIDE the community. What could be better?
Bampton developed Comedy in Ruins after a successful run of Oxford-based events called Undercover Comedy. The original series came about after feeling exhausted by the straight white-dude led scene that seldom leaves room for black voices or queer comics. It was a team effort, working alongside Anna George, Caitriona Dowden, Jamie Mykaela, and Alex Burger. Although she didn’t know it at the time, those events would become a successful springboard for her latest solo project.
Comedy in Ruins features a star-studded lineup of comics across the scene in London and beyond, who each have something uniquely funny (and usually queer) to say. The series focuses on underground talent, giving the stage to some of the funniest underrepresented voices on the scene. While the lineup is amazing on its own, the events focus heavily on crowdwork. Emily is dedicated to bridging the boundary between audience and performer, creating a more intimate atmosphere in which the crowd can let its guard down.
You may think you’ve seen it all, until you encounter the “Emily Ruins Your Life” portion of the evening. Here, guests are encouraged to drop a piece of gossip into a collection bucket. Then Emily rifles through the submissions and pulls one out at random. Once it has been revealed, the audience must cede to her questioning. Unbelievable overlaps, tongue-in-cheek references and arguably far too much personal information are sure to be on full display. Sure, gossip has long held a bad rep, but where would we be without our local historians?
COLD sat down with Emily to get a better understanding about what goes into hosting an independent comedy show, and why it’s important to bring underrepresented voices to the stage. The next event is September 11th, and you won’t want to miss out. Grab your tickets here.
The Cold Magazine (CM): Can you give our readers a little more insight into the origin story of Comedy in Ruins?
Emily Bampton (EB): I’d been doing comedy for four years before I started Comedy in Ruins in May 2024. I did my first stand-up set when I was still living at home in Oxford in March 2020, arguably the worst time in recorded history to decide to get into live performance. When I was allowed to start gigging again, I realised two things: (1) I didn’t like most stand-up shows and (2) I liked being in charge.
The comedy scene was (and, in many cases, still is) a very white boys’ club and thus, as a Black bisexual woman… it wasn’t my vibe. So myself and four other queer women created Undercover Comedy: a place centred and run by underrepresented voices within the Oxford scene. Apparently a lot of people felt the same, as we immediately started selling out shows. When I moved to London, I decided to run a night with the same ethos on my own, and Comedy in Ruins was born.
CM: What do you hope your attendees feel during/ after attending these events?
EB: I hope people feel sheer joy, community, and like they can’t wait to come back; basically, like they’ve just joined a cult. Because they have! A large number of our audience members are repeat customers, I think because laughter is powerful and good for the soul, and most comedy nights aren’t for them in the way Comedy in Ruins is (and I make a very charismatic cult leader).
CM: How do you come up with your lineup of performers?
EB: Look I don’t wanna start any beef… but if you’re putting on all-white, or all-male line ups (or God forbid, both) in London in the year of our Lord 2026, then you are what’s wrong with comedy. You’re lazy at best, a bigot at worst, and I hate you.
You don’t have to be me. I design our line ups very intentionally, balancing both the identities and styles of performers to make, some could say, a perfect lineup every time, always including an amazing trans act and another woman of colour. But you can’t say there isn’t enough talent to make your lineups consistently diverse.
CM: Is there a specific vetting process or series of steps you usually follow to set up your lineup?
EB: Naw it’s vibes-based, who I love and think is excellent, maybe who I’ve seen recently and am excited about, and then I keep a list. But always with the aim of balancing the identities and styles of performers. The only thing I always do is to book the acts I prioritise platforming first, so for me that’s trans people and women of colour. Then I honestly slot white and cis people in afterwards. It might sound a bit prescriptive, but it makes sure my lineups have my values at the heart every time.
CM: “Emily Ruins Your Life” is a segment of this series that is standalone to any other comedy night I’ve experienced. How did this portion of the evening come to be?
EB: I wanted to make the show feel interactive and like a community, breaking down the feeling of distance between the audience and me as the host. Plus there’s my LOVE of crowdwork. I’d tried a few things for at least six months, but an advice segment just clicked from the first time I did it. Plus, knowing people’s secrets is a good way to get them into your cult.
CM: What is the craziest story you’ve heard during the ‘Emily Ruins Your Life’ portion of the show?
EB: Not something I can put on paper for legal reasons, unfortunately. But come to a show and I’ll tell you in person 😉
CM: What was the best audience reaction you’ve ever gotten and what they were reacting to?
EB: One person realising they’d been scammed in a park in Columbo by the same guy as a complete stranger who also attended that same show. The world is TINY.
CM: What is your favourite part of the show?
EB: “Emily Ruins Your Life” or the end of the show, when I have the buzz of having pulled off another month. And people often come up and say nice things, share more secrets and tell me they’ll be back. It warms my heart and grows the cult membership.
CM: Why is queer comedy important?
EB: Queer comedy is important because queer joy is important, and what’s more joyous and infectious than laughter?
CM: What do you hope to achieve with this type of event?
EB: Community, more spaces that feel like they are for us. And accessibility too: we are, and have always been at, wheelchair accessible venues and have offered income-inclusive pricing because everyone deserves a giggle regardless of means. Lastly, practically and selfishly, a platform for and an income from my talents as a comic.
CM: Is there anything else you’d like our readership to know?
EB: Our next shows are Friday 11th September, Friday 16th October, Friday 13th November and Friday 11th December (our Xmas Special) and you can grab your tickets now.
Oh, and that I’m single.
