by ⭐⭐⭐½
For having a decade in the trenches of stand-up comedy, Bella Hull is still only in her 20s, and yet already is enjoying great success. She’s a writer for SNL UK and in the past year has appeared on both Have I Got News For You as well as You Heard It Here First.
With Hull’s new Fringe show, she reminds the audience that there are much worse things happening at this festival. “Those things are sexual assault and mime.” Her most threatening quality might be emotional terrorism. She did learn at a young age from her grandmother, who once baked a bunch of fruitcakes simply out of spite. But she will never traumatize her audience with spoken word. Why? “Spoken word is like if a play had a baby with a receipt.”
I’m a fan of Hull’s, but this set felt light on time and the thematic oomph to back up her strong opening gambit. Perhaps that will change if she continues to develop this further.
Bella Hull: Mad Cow Disease plays Monkey Barrel 1 during the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
