Matt Kirshen
Hailing from North London, Kirshen’s comedic journey commenced at Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood, before leading him to Clare College, Cambridge, where he pursued a degree in Mathematics. It was within the hallowed halls of the university that the curtain rose on Kirshen’s burgeoning comedy career. Editing the satirical magazine Clareification,he fearlessly navigated the landscape of Cambridge traditions, lampooned weekly events, chronicled silly student escapades, and revelled in the spread of college gossip.
Kirshen’s impact extended beyond the written word; he founded a comedy club in Clare College cellars, becoming a prominent figure in the Cambridge University comedy scene. The Clare Comedy nights, hosted during the latter years of his degree, solidified his standing. To this day, he continues to make triumphant returns as a guest host and graces the stage at the illustrious Clare May Ball.
Before venturing into stand-up, Kirshen earned local notoriety as The Wilf in the dynamic double act Crazy and The Wilf.
Since 2001, Kirshen has been a fixture in London’s comedy circuit, lighting up venues like the Comedy Store and embarking on numerous university tours. Notable milestones include being a finalist in the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s So You Think You’re Funny? competition and claiming the title of Hackney Empire New Act of the Year. A pivotal moment arrived in 2007 when he became one of the final seven comics on NBC’s reality TV show Last Comic Standing.
In 2008, Kirshen recorded a 30-minute special for Paramount Comedy, now known as Comedy Central (UK and Ireland). The year 2009 saw him co-write and star in the BBC Radio 4 sketch comedy series Bigipedia. Additionally, he released the album I Guess We’ll Never Know, earning a coveted spot in Punchline magazine’s Top 10 comedy albums of 2009.
In 2016, Kirshen lent his voice to the character Hugh on The Loud House episode Study Muffin. His brand of international stand-up has graced stages in Singapore, Dubai, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Kirshen contributed his writing talents to The Jim Jefferies Show on Comedy Central, earning a nomination for a 2018 Writers Guild of America Award, as well as writing for Season 5 of the Arrested Development.
