‘We went to see both of Mark's shows after he handed us leaflets in the street. We enjoyed Don't You Know Who I Am so much we went back for A* In The Making. Both shows had us doubled over with laughter. Great engagement with the audience and plenty of hilarious anecdotes. Well worth going to see, five star review from us!’
Mark Row’s comedy career began in 2016, when he had the bright idea to make a documentary about becoming a comedian; from zero gigs to a full run at the Edinburgh Festival in the space of just a year! ‘A1 The Long Road to Edinburgh’ tells the story of Mark’s first steps in his quest to become a comedian, with advice from some of the best in the business along the way.
Interviewing James Acaster for A1: The Long Road to Edinburgh 2016
When he first began...
He expected that year to be his complete foray into the comedy world; little did he know, he would fall in love with performing stand-up and would abandon filmmaking to pursue a career in live comedy.
Since that first year, Mark has continued to perform all over the country, at some of the biggest comedy clubs in the land, working with acts he loved watching long before he ever dreamed of stepping on stage himself and was delighted to find himself gigging alongside Jack Dee, Dara O’Brien, Arthur Smith, Hal Cruttenden, Nick Helm, Adam Bloom and Joe Pasquale amongst many others.
He has built a solid reputation as an up-and-coming act, and is widely talked about as ‘one to watch’ amongst those in the know. With a world-weary take on life, he has an eye for relatable and sometimes outrageous comedy that never fails to hit the spot. In 2024 he was asked to support Terry Alderton (Live at the Apollo/Eastenders) and BGT winner Axel Blake as part of their UK tours.
Perhaps understandably The Edinburgh Festival has always been a special place for Mark and he returned in 2019 to do a split hour ‘So What?’ with Matt Bragg, alongside compilation show Jokers in The Pack. Following an enforced break for the dreaded covid years he returned in 2023 with his debut hours all about the trials and tribulations of being a teacher in his day job ‘A* in the Making’ which he brought back in 2024 as ‘A* in the Making - Revision Lesson’ alongside brand new show ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am?’ which mused on the highs and lows of fame, which has continued to elude him. Mark has started to build a good following at the Festival and regularly performs to packed rooms, which have also won him some incredible audience reviews:
Quotes from comedians
Quotes from promoters