Mark Bittlestone | |
|---|---|
 Bittlestone performing in Cardiff, Wales in August 2021 | |
| Born | Mark Christopher Bittlestone 13 June 1993 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Stand-up comedian |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | markbittlestone |
Mark Christopher Bittlestone (born 13 June 1993) is an English stand-up comedian. [1] He has performed various shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and is known for his sketch videos on TikTok.
Bittlestone was born on 13 June 1993 in the district of Hammersmith [2] [3] and attended King's College School in Wimbledon, London. [4] He studied history at the University of Cambridge, attaining a Double First. [5]
Bittlestone is both openly gay and an adult orphan which inspired some of his earliest stand up material exploring the topics of homosexuality, death and grief. [6] [7] His mother Jean was diagnosed with stage four glioblastoma in February 2010 and died in April 2011 [8] [9] and his father Robert, author of Odysseus Unbound , died by suicide in May 2015. [8] [10]
Bittlestone was a member of the Cambridge Footlights, [11] [12] writing for and performing in a variety of shows during his time at university. [13] One of these shows, 'Babushka', transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, marking his first appearance as a performer at the performing arts festival. [14]
Bittlestone's debut solo show, 'Pity Laughs', was first performed in Cambridge in January 2017. [15] [16] Later that year he collaborated with Will Dalrymple and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in a split bill show named 'Pity Laughs: A Tale of Two Gays'. A reworked version of the show returned in 2018. [17] [18]
In 2019, Bittlestone and fellow Footlight Haydn Jenkins devised and performed in a comedy sketch show called 'Llaugh'. [19] The duo appeared in the Leicester Square Theatre Sketch Off final in 2019 and 2020. [20] [21]
Bittlestone returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 with a split bill show named 'Two Sour Gays' alongside Chris Hall. [22]
In 2023, Bittlestone appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe in a solo show named 'Poofs "R" Us'. [23] During that year he supported Eshaan Akbar on his tour. [24]
Bittlestone performed his debut solo hour, 'I Need a Straight Guy' at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] He was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. [30] The show was named because he needed a heterosexual male in the audience for the through line to work. [31] [32] It went on tour at various venues across the United Kingdom in May and June 2025. [33]
Bittlestone is a joint host of the Dirty Laundry podcast, along with Jamie D'Souza. The show went on hiatus in October 2024. [34]
Bittlestone has also been invited onto several independent podcasts to talk about his life and share his experiences:
| Year | Podcast name | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Guy and a Gal | Series 2, episode 2 [35] |
| 2021 | Celebrity Prelash | Series 1, episode 7 [36] |
| 2022 | Chatting with Cherubs | Episode 15 [37] |
| 2023 | My Mum Made Me | Series 2, episode 4 [38] |
| 2023 | Didn't Ask for Agony | Episode 21 [39] |
| 2023 | Our Dads Died | Series 2, episode 8 [8] |
| 2024 | There Will Be Film | Episode 22 [40] |
| 2024 | The Bold Shout Podcast | Episode 6 [41] |
| 2025 | My Mate Bought A Toaster | Series 9, episode 18 [42] |
| 2025 | My Bad | Episode 4 [43] |