Shropshire lad turned award winning comedian
Dru Cripps, born and raised in Oswestry, has been making waves international waves with his unique brand of stand up comedy.
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Shropshire lad making international comedy waves
Dru Cripps, from Oswestry, brings his new show, Juicy Bits, to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. It plays nightly at 9pm in the Hoots @ Potterrow container from 1–25 August with tickets at £8 each.
Dru is known for his spontaneous and alt‑comedy approach — improvised songs, a loop station and audience interaction form the backbone of his performance. Media outlets like Time Out have praised his work as “sensational” while BroadwayWorld and The New Current call it “hilarious” and “show‑stealing”.
Raised in Oswestry, Dru attended The Marches School where he gained a reputation as a “very naughty child,” before the drama department helped turn his behaviour around — a transformation he remains deeply grateful for. He was eventually expelled for two weeks and placed on a final warning for disruptive behaviour, which led to a two‑week subsidised improv masterclass. It was there that a teacher identified him and his father as natural “clowns,” setting the course for his performance career.
He trained with Philippe Gaulier in London and Paris, and credits his time with Gaulier as pivotal to his development. Those teachings helped shape his ability to embrace improv and joy in performance, no matter how chaotic the setting.
He later performed in a West End circus show, Sophie’s Surprise 29th, which won an Off‑West‑End Award for Best Production. He has also won a British Comedy Guide–backed competition and, most recently, the Dabbers Bingo Comedy Caller Contest at London’s Comedy Store — despite arriving unprepared, drawing laughs on the fly, his loop station dying mid‑set, and still emerging victorious.
Just before Edinburgh 2025, Dru headlined an all‑expenses‑paid tour in Barcelona at the Comedy Clubhouse. He performed to sold‑out crowds at the city’s vibrant comedy venue, further proving his international appeal. The Comedy Clubhouse — a hub for pop‑up and big‑name acts in Barcelona — regularly features high‑profile performers and launched by comedians without prior business experience.
His Edinburgh Fringe run includes Juicy Bits, described as “loopstation based shenanigans” in a cargo container that must “be seen to be misunderstood.” The show has received glowing four‑ and five‑star reviews from outlets like The Rendition, BroadwayWorld, The New Current, and AllThatDazzles.
Earlier in 2024 at Fringe Dru performed Druniversal Credit, which integrated his real experiences of living on Universal Credit into the show. It received praise from BBC Shropshire, AllThatDazzles, The New Current and others for being immersive, chaotic and unafraid to experiment.
In Dru’s own words: “I show up with nothing, let the audience guide me, and we build something together in the moment.”
From being the disruptive kid at a Shropshire school to training with Gaulier, winning awards and headlining internationally, Dru Cripps has become one of the UK’s most unpredictable and exciting comedians. Catch Juicy Bits in August at Edinburgh Fringe for one hour of improvised joy and audience‑driven chaos.
