About Elf

ONE OF THE 50 FUNNIEST COMEDIANS OF THE 21st CENTURY - THE TELEGRAPH

WINNER - BEST COMEDY - SKY ARTS AWARDS 2025

WINNER - PICK OF THE WEEK - ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL - 2025

WINNER - BEST SHOW - (ISH) EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS - EDINBURGH FRINGE

WINNER - BEST SHOW - COMEDIANS CHOICE AWARD - EDINBURGH FRINGE

WINNER - MERVYN STUTTER'S SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE AWARD - EDINBURGH FRINGE

WINNER - BEST SHOW - REYKJAVIK FRINGE 2024

WINNER - BEST COMEDY - ADELAIDE FRINGE 2024

WINNER - BEST BIT OF TIMBER - THE COMEDIANS CHOICE - THE BIN AWARDS- MICF

NOMINEE: SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE - THE BIN AWARDS - MICF

NOMINEE: BEST SHOW - EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARD, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

What is she?

Elf Lyons is award-winning comedian and theatre practitioner. With over ten years of experience working as a professional comic, Elf spends her months touring internationally with her solo shows and directing and teaching artists of all creative disciplines around the world. She loves making work that stretches the relationship between comedy, theatre and performance art - using mime, stand-up, clowning, Bouffon and verbatim theatre. In the last few years she has been lucky to work on creative projects with establishments such as the Barbican, the British Library, the London Science Museum, the Royal Society of Literature and the City of London to name a few.

Elf's solo work has included solo shows re-enacting classical ballet using found items, musicals about the economy whilst dressed as a Lion, a mime show about a bank robbery and a comedy horror extravaganza inspired by the work of Stephen King.

What has she been up to recently?

In 2025 Elf has toured the UK, Europe and Australia with her shows Horses, Swan, Raven and Chiffchaff and returned to the Edinburgh fringe with her acclaimed Bird Trilogy which sold out the entire run. In September 2025 Elf was awarded Best Comedy at the Sky Arts Awards. Her podcast Elfonomics released its fourth series and she directed half a dozen shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, each going on to receive ★★★★★ reviews.

In 2024, Elf received 12 ★★★★★ reviews and had a sell out run of her show Horses at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was awarded the (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, the Comedian's Choice Award for Best Show and the Mervyn Stutter 'Spirit of the Fringe' Award. For her show Raven she was awarded Best Show at the Reykjavik Fringe, Iceland and was awarded Best Comedy at the Adelaide Fringe, Australia.

In 2023 Elf was listed as Number 25 in The Telegraphs' 50 Best Comedians of the 21st Century' and was nominated for the Deaf Action Award for Deaf Excellence for her comedy show Heist which she developed with the visual vernacular performer, Duffy. She performed and toured three different one hour comedy shows. These included; HEIST - an absurdist comedy show conducted entirely in BSL with Duffy; TALKS DIRTY - a one hour straight stand-up show about filth; and RAVEN - her ★★★★★ mad-cap comedy horror show. In April 2023 Elf had her stage debut at the Arcola Theatre in the role of Rachel in Lisa Carroll's stage play The Misandrist where she received rave reviews for her performance.

How many shows has she made so far?

Horses, Heist (with Duffy), Raven, Talks Dirty, Gorgon:A Horror Story, Unlikely Darlings (with Helen Duff), Love Songs to Guinea Pigs, Medusa, ChiffChaff, Swan, Hilda & The Spectrum (with Ryan Lane), Pelican and Being Barbarella...

Writing

Alongside her live work Elf is a well respected writer. She has written for The Guardian, The Times, The Scotsman, The Telegraph, The Independent, Londonist, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Refinery29, among others. Topics have ranged from ethical non monogamy, the power of horror to economics. She is currently writing a book on clowning and the power of play.

Radio & Podcasts

Elf frequently guests on podcasts and radio programmes discussing subjects as varied as polyamory, economics and a wide range of political and social issues. She has been featued and interviewed on Classical Fix (BBC Radio 3), Loose Ends (BBC Radio 4), Standard Issue, The Spectator Podcast, The Insider for The Economist, Unexpected Fluids (Radio 1), Evil Genius (BBC Sounds), and BBC World Service’s Stand Up Show – London (BBC World Service)among many other acclaimed podcasts and radio shows. You can hear her frequently on The Breakfast Show and Culture Hour (Times Radio) and The Colin Murray Show (BBC Radio 5).

You can listen to her hit podcast Elfonomics on Apple Podcasts and her radio play Gorgon: A Horror Story on Bandcamp.

Want to collaborate?

Elf loves to work with other artists, theatre venues and production houses to create dynamic, unique and one of a kind projects. If you have an idea, get in contact.

Contact!

For Performance enquiries and Touring contact Lucy Chesterman at Mick Perrin Management.

Tel: +44 (0)1273 622529

Email: lucy@mickperrin.com

For Corporate enquiries and engagements contact Lucy Chesterman at Mick Perrin Management.

Tel: +44 (0)1273 622529

Email: lucy@mickperrin.com

For Acting enquiries contact Simon Pontin at Leodis Talent

Email: simon@leodistalent.com

For enquiries regarding Voice work contact Laura Milne at The Joneses.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7253 8462

Email: laura@meetthejoneses.co.uk

For enquiries regarding teaching, corporate group sessions, directing and dramaturgy, contact Elf Lyons directly.

Email: info@theelflyons.com