As I have probably said before, we enjoy the Fringe influx of international acts and, of course, some are kind of more international than others…

Sepideh Kaav grew up in Iran but is now resident in Germany, and is performing a show she has already performed in Europe. 

Kaav has built a reputation this Fringe for some rather dark comedy, which again, is a good thing as far as I’m concerned, and – given her background – it feels inevitable that there would be a political element in the show. 

I spoke to her to find out more about the show and what brought her to Edinburgh, as well as her expectations for the future. 

CM: Can you start by telling us what to expect from your show in terms of content? What themes and topics do you cover?
SK: I talk about pretty normal things: dating, work, family, trying to have a normal life. But they have a tendency to take quite dark turns.

There’s political stuff in there too, because when you’re Iranian, even the most ordinary parts of your life can become political very quickly.

But I never really set out to make a “dark comedy” show. This is just my sense of humour. Apparently it’s much darker than I thought.

CM: Some of the topics you cover are quite serious – is it hard to talk about them or do you find it cathartic?
SK: It’s not hard for me to talk about them. Making people find them funny, as much as I do, is the hard part. But joking about something is freeing. It gives you a way to talk about things that are quite heavy without them feeling as heavy.

CM: How would you describe your style of performance? Are you a storyteller?
SK: I tell stories, but I wouldn’t really call myself a storyteller. It’s not one long narrative. I switch topics quite frequently and tell different stories throughout the show. I think what connects them is probably just my sense of humour.

CM: What made you want to focus on the topics you talk about in this show? What was your inspiration?
SK: I think a lot of it came naturally from the jokes I was already writing. After a while, I realised they were often coming from the same place: my life and the stuff people tend to dodge. I’ve always liked talking about things that haven’t been talked about enough, or at least finding an angle on them that I haven’t heard before.

But there wasn’t really a moment where I decided, “I’m going to make a show about these serious, dark topics”. These were the jokes I was writing and eventually they became an hour – I mean 45 minutes.

CM: What made you decide to bring the show to Edinburgh?
SK: I think Fringe is where you bring a show like this. I wanted to see how it lands with a mixture of audiences and it’s probably the biggest place to really test a show.

CM: What expectations did you have for the Fringe before you got here? How is it going so far?
SK: Fringe has somehow been both overwhelming and underwhelming, and maybe that’s part of the magic of it.

One thing I really didn’t expect was to discover just how dark my sense of humour apparently is. I knew it was dark, that’s how I advertise the show, but pretty much every review I’ve had, good or bad, talks about how dark or twisted it is.

Audience reviews too. And I’m thinking, really? Because I never deliberately decided to make a really dark show. This is just how I find things funny.

But performing the show here has actually been beyond my expectations. I feel like the audiences understand the jokes on a deeper level and I’ve felt a really strong connection with them.

CM: What are you doing when not performing?
SK: When I’m not performing, I’m mostly trying to relax. I’m staying in a flat with two cats, so I spend quite a lot of time playing with them. I go for walks, sometimes I go for a run, Edinburgh is so beautiful.

I’m also gigging outside of my own show and trying to find my audience while I’m here. And I’ve been hanging out with other comics quite a bit. There are so many talented people here from all over the place, so that’s been a really nice part of the Fringe too.

CM: What do you like about the Fringe? Is there anything you don’t like? Can you see yourself returning?
SK: Being surrounded by comedy is what I love about Fringe. It’s like Disneyland for comedy. We have an expression in Persian: “Let me raise the child I just gave birth to”. That’s where I’m at with Fringe.

I love it, but it’s a big energy hit, so I’m not planning the next one yet. I’ll probably definitely come back at some point. I just don’t wanna decide it right now.

CM: Are you planning to see other shows while you are here?
SK: So far I’ve mostly only seen my friends’ shows and they’ve all been amazing. I’ve seen Rob Moriarty, Sofia May and Anna Beros, and I’m planning to see Shannon Brooke as well.

I’m planning to see a lot more shows in the last week. It feels like such a waste to be at the Fringe and not see as much as you can, but between gigging, flyering after gigs and performing my own show every day, it’s surprisingly hard to find the time.

CM: Can you tell us a bit about your career? What made you decide to focus on performance? Did you always want to work in this industry?
SK: The first stand-up comedian I watched was George Carlin, and I remember immediately feeling that it really resonated with me. It was something I would have loved to do, but growing up as a little girl in Iran, it felt so far away that I never really thought it was something I could actually do.

When I moved to Germany, I finally had the opportunity to try an open mic. I did one, and it felt incredible, genuinely one of the best feelings I’d ever had. After that I just kept going. I started gigging constantly and basically never stopped.

CM: Who or what are your influences?
SK: George Carlin was obviously a big one because he was my introduction to stand-up. I also love Ricky Gervais. One thing I really admire about his comedy is just how many jokes there are in an hour. When I watch his specials, I’m constantly laughing, and I really respect that. I like comedy where there’s a lot packed into it.

CM: What have been the highlights of your career thus far?
SK: I’d say ‘Persianality Disorder’ itself has been the biggest highlight so far. The show has been selling really well across Europe, which has been amazing, especially because I’m still quite early in my career. I’m planning to take it to North America next year, so hopefully there’s still a lot more life in it.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future?
SK: Mostly, I just want to keep getting better at stand-up. I’m still very early in my career, so there’s a lot I want to learn and a lot of room to grow. I’d love to keep building shows that I can take further and further, and hopefully reach bigger audiences without losing what I actually like about doing comedy in the first place.

CM: What’s coming up next for you after the Fringe?
SK: I’m going back to Berlin, where I host regular line-up shows and work on new material. Then I’m planning to take ‘Persianality Disorder’ to North America next year.

Being at the Fringe this year and meeting so many great comics from across the UK has also made me want to start gigging here more and hopefully tour the hour around the UK, if I can get the proper visa for it!

Sepideh Kaav performed ‘1979: Persianality Disorder’ at Laughing Horse at Coco BoHo at Edinburgh Festival 2026.

LINKS: sepidehkaav.com | instagram.com/sepcomedy