Tamsyn’s skint. So is her boyfriend. She works in comedy. So does he. They decided to move to London anyway. No doubt the drive and desire that took them there explains why she pops in each morning to the venue; just to check no-one’s opened a door that might disturb that damp subterranean ambience long ago patented by The Fringe.
It’s a long way to the top, or maybe Blue Peter, but an even longer journey if you’re born to a homeless couple in Cornwall, though, as this show proves, it does provide better stories. She nips in the bud any conclusions based on her haircut. Though the drill collection is expanding and the shelving potential increasing for all the Hockey trophies.
She dumps the obligatory ADHD diagnosis into the same category as an air fryer, since with either you’ll never find any space on the worktop. Into the line of fire come Americans, loud, brash and… imagine if they were allowed a gun? Then we’re into her story…
Finally in an actual house life stabilises enough for Tamsyn to contemplate a pet. Mother obliges and off they head to the Royston Vasey-esque house of a crazy goth who has a surfeit of… rats. It’s a cracking tale requiring little embellishment, and at the same time she learns to tap-dance. Tamsyn, not the rat.
Enduring the grind of a cold-calling job to pay her way through Drama school her hatred of Shakespeare and mime is cemented and she encounters Jemima. And lots more Jemimas.
Her first paid dramatic job involves lightweight plays designed to cheer up pensioners with Abba songs reconditioned with occasion-appropriate lyrics. No surprise the stand-up bug bites quickly and though still broke, she’s in a happier place. But there’s rent, bills… which is when, at a corporate event, Tamsyn discovers Only Fans.
She has a dry, exasperated tone and occasionally a few drops of acid fall amongst the audience, but she should remember, for all Jack Whitehall’s good fortune she’s way more interesting. Additionally, the elephant wasn’t the most dramatic thing to happen to Blue Peter – it was surely Richard Bacon?
Running August 3rd – 30th (not 19th) https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tamsyn-kelly-rat-s-ass
Reviewer: Roger Jacobs
Reviewed: 15th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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