Ellen Robertson and Charly Clive are a comedy double act and writing/performing duo who have been bringing work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2016. Their first show, Britney, found widespread success in London at the Battersea Arts Centre, Vault Festival, and Soho Theatre, before being adapted into a BBC Three comedy pilot produced by Drama Republic.
After returning post-COVID in 2022 with Friends and Nothing More, which became one of the best-reviewed shows of the Fringe and secured a sold-out run at Soho Theatre, the duo now have TV and film projects in development with Gloria Sanchez, Two Brothers, and Funny or Die. This year, they make their theatre debut with Jitters alongside their brand-new sketch show.
How did you get into comedy/writing/producing etc?
We’ve been best friends for 20 years if you can believe that (you realistically can’t) and we’ve been making each other laugh from the very beginning. We met at secondary school, and our first gig was at a Christmas talent show where we bombed. We’ve been chasing that sweet high ever since.
Tell us about your comedy style.
It’s sketch comedy, so the chicest comedy style there is. It’s happy and upward tending, it’s a smiling skyscraper of giggles or something.
What’s your show about and where can we see it?
The entire point of our show is just to provide an hour of absolutely lovely sketch comedy. The only purpose of it is to be happy or, at the very least, not unhappy. It’s about friendship, it’s about love, it’s about almond milk, and it’s about the song from the Gillette advert. It’s very funny and the girls (us) are gorgeous. It’s on all month in Pleasance Beside at 4:50pm.
We are also, if you can believe it, doing ANOTHER show where we aren’t really Funny Women at all but rather Serious Actors, and that is a play on at Summerhall at 12pm which is about money and love and the film Pretty Woman a bit. It’s called Jitters and Ellen wrote it and we’re both going to act in it.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Mainly from male comedians because they are sooooo strong and handsome of course!
What do you think makes great comedy/content/sitcom/etc?
Nepotism. That’s why we’ve recently got our parents into the industry. Ellen’s parents retired from medicine a few years ago but now they’re interning at different production companies. It is unpaid for now, but there is lots of great exposure and one day we hope to draw on those connections to further our careers. Unfortunately, they don’t hugely rate what we do. Charly’s dad was already a talented sketch comic (Brightwell Church Talent Show 2014 etc.), and her mum’s the funniest person we know to be fair. What was the question?
Any advice for those taking their first show to Edinburgh?
It’s absolutely incredible that you’ve even got a show to take to the Fringe, let alone the fact that you’re doing it! We’re proud of you, babe! The advice is this: when the fun stops, stop.
What’s next for you?
Ellen’s off to do a play at The National Theatre, and Charly is off to film Series 2 of HBO’s Rooster! But first, Legoland!
Who are your favourite Funny Women?
Ellen’s Grandma Pat and Liz Truss.
How does it feel to take this to Edinburgh?
Expensive.
What do you love about comedy/writing/producing?
It’s just so much fun and it’s silly and brilliant. We see our mates all the time because this job is so ridiculous and goofy, and even when it’s tough, it’s still much more fun than almost any other job.
Follow Britney Comedy on Instagram.
Tickets and more information on both shows can be found here and here!
