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Michael Welch: All Rizz, No Filter

 
Stuart Mckenzie Review by Stuart Mckenzie 4 Published: 16 Aug 2025 Gilded Balloon Patter House Show Dates: 30 Jul 2025-25 Aug 2025

At 31, Michael Welch lives an enviable life: a loving partner of 14 years, a steady civil service job, two adorable feline companions, and a beautiful home in the capital’s commuter belt. What could make Welch want for more? Try the EuroMillions. All Rizz, No Filter hits a jackpot this Fringe in an act that beats steadily with a TikTok-esque approach to set-ups, driven by the undercurrent of Welch’s grandstanding personality.

A slick, quickfire delivery mixed with elements of deadpan

In many respects, Welch’s show is like an aeroplane ride: a slight delay at the beginning followed by rapid take-off to adjust to his tempo, but once up to speed you barely notice how fast you’re travelling as he races across a bountiful ocean of topics without hitting turbulence.

Welch’s self-confessed ADHD is by no means a superficial quirk thrown in for the sake of neurodivergent box-checking. Rather, it is as much a part of the show as his jokes – his own comedic battery that powers the bulk of his set piece on cults. Indeed, the curt set-ups are the lynchpin of the evening: an anecdote about McDonald’s blends seamlessly into a quip on the hinterland of anal sex for vanilla couples (with a double whammy at the expense of the royal family), where the Portobello comic never lingers too long before sidestepping into his next topic with composed ease.

In less capable hands, some of Welch’s material might seem contrived. The existential dread of hitting your 30s? The lamentations over your first grey hair? It’s nothing new, yet we are instinctively drawn to Welch’s natural raconteur, with a slick, quickfire delivery mixed with elements of deadpan, particularly in how well he reads and uses his audience in well-loved ad-lib humour. Once you buy into the notion of a show built around a stream of consciousness with a millennial backdrop and thematic exploration of the numbers in our lives, it becomes a thorough delight to watch, with Welch rounding off the night with aplomb and applause.

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The Blurb:

Diving headfirst into the chaos of his early 30s, Michael Welch is back with a bold new hour – no edits, no filters, and definitely no luck. 'I am certain this comedian is destined for a Netflix special' ***** (Entertainment-Now.com). 'He's unafraid of pushing his jokes further than many of his contemporaries would dare' (List). 'Welch does what a lot of theatre-goers are after: he helps them find themselves in his own story' (Seagull.news). 'Attracts considerable laughs... and has an impulse to push boundaries' (Scotsman).