Comedy / John Tothill
Acclaimed standup John Tothill on turning near-death experiences into comedy
John Tothill’s debut standup hour Thank God This Lasts Forever chronicled his dramatic experiences of signing up to a malaria drug trial in order to fund his artistic endeavours.
But fraternising with near-death once in the name of comedy wasn’t enough for Tothill. His award-nominated second show This Must Be Heaven charts another very close call, told through the lens of some ill-advised late night cheesy chips at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe.
“I felt incredibly ill for a week”, he admits. “I was still performing every night, but outside of the show I was basically confined to bed. On my day off I took myself to A&E and it was then I found out that I’d not just burst my appendix, but in the words of a doctor, ‘completely obliterated’ it.
“My appendix had fully fallen apart, probably on-stage during a show, and I’d entered into intra-abdominal sepsis. If I’d waited another day, the doctors told me I would have been dead.”
As well as regaling this story, and the lessons learned (primarily “that I am, it seems, immortal”) Tothill shares in This Must Be Heaven his excruciating experience of performing on a cruise ship, accidentally heckling a member of the 300-strong audience before 96 per cent of them walked out in solidarity.
And he also cites an unlikely kindred spirit in Edward Dando, a 19th century oyster thief. “Edward Dando is the most interesting person I have ever come across”, he insists.
“He was a true folk hero in Victorian London, who ate hundreds and hundreds of oysters and then refused to pay for them and was thrown into jail over and over again. When I read about his repeated time spent in solitary confinement, I thought, this is surely a metaphor for my time in hospital last year for eating too many cheesy chips.”
While working up a brand-new show for 2026, Tothill is also touring This Must Be Heaven around the UK, calling at the Alma Tavern and Theatre on February 26.
“Every time I go to Bristol I have brunch at The Crafty Egg”, he declares. “Now that is a quality café. If, God forbid, the Alma Tavern and Theatre burnt down the night before my show and I had already bought my train tickets, I would still come to Bristol to honour my standing reservation at The Crafty Egg. So I’m feeling sensational about coming to Bristol, to be honest with you.
“I believe strongly that Bristol is the best city in the world to have brunch in. In fact, screw the show. Let’s have a mimosa, for God’s sake.”
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John Tothill: This Must Be Heaven is at The Alma Tavern & Theatre on February 26 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.tickettailor.com.
All photos: Rebecca Need-Menear
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