Sam Eley is a British stand-up comedian and writer best known for creating Basil Crumbwick, a grotesque and gloriously unpleasant character brought to life beneath a giant papier-mâché head. Combining surreal character comedy with razor-sharp writing and an anarchic sense of humour, Eley has developed a distinctive comic world in which Crumbwick’s absurd prejudices, loneliness and increasingly bizarre worldview become the fuel for an unpredictable performance. After winning Sketch Off! in 2025, Eley took Basil to the Edinburgh Fringe with Soul Sewage, earning the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer and the 2026 NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy.
21st September, 2026
The Monday Club
Museum of Comedy, London
With Charlie Vero Martin, Don Biswas, Dru Cripps, Jacob Edwards, Madeleine Brettingham, Maple Zuo, Mark Moloney, Rosie Wood, Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick), Siobhan Ward, Tim Shishodia, Tony Dunn.
17th September, 2026
Girlfriend Club
The Castle, London
With Alison Spittle, Laura Walsh, Louie Beer, Pravanya Pillay, Those People, Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick)
11th August, 2026
Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick: Soul Sewage
Monkey Barrel, Edinburgh
Eley’s brilliant creation has opinions on everything, most of them appalling, and he fires them out at a rate that leaves little time to recover before the next beautifully stupid image arrives. The writing is the weapon here, with densely packed jokes that turn Basil’s rants about his neighbor and misguided self-help advice into miniature comic constructions. Eley’s commitment to the character makes Basil a spectacularly pathetic human disaster: angry, lonely, deluded, and desperate for someone to like him, even if that someone is taking his bins away.
20th July, 2026
The Monday Club
Museum of Comedy, London
With Andrea Hubert, Andy Barr, Athena Kugblenu, Bec Hill, Eli Hart, Jenny Collier, Karen Hobbs, Lulu Popplewell, Nicole Harris, Sallyann Fellowes, Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick), Tadiwa Mahlunge, Tony Dunn.
27th April, 2026
The Monday Club
Museum of Comedy, London
With Andrea Hubert, Dee Allum, Jenny Collier, John Meagher, Jonny Pelham, Kate Weston, Lianna Holston, Nick Elleray, Nicole Harris, Olaf Falafel, Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick), Tadiwa Mahlunge, Toby Williams, Tony Dunn
9th March, 2026
The Monday Club
Museum of Comedy, London
with Andrea Hubert, Charlie Vero-Martin, Dick Denham, Fab Goualin, Jacob Edwards (as Roger Showbusiness), Jojo Maberly (as Hattie the vicar), Kate Weston, Katie Pritchard (as Sir Elton Scone), Madeleine Brettingham, Richard Stott, Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick), Spring Day, Tony Dunn,
6th April, 2025
Sketch Off 2025 Grand Final
NextUp Comedy livestream
With Behemoth, Big Zeus Energy (as Big Boys), Burger and Pint (headliner), Christian Dart (as Gumshoe), Hannah Whyte (as Roger Prick), Hudson Hughes, Jess Carrivick (as Cassandra Delia Treebourne), K&J Club, Luke Nixon (as Jim Midge), Nikola McMurtrie (as Thomas the Tank Engine), Rachel Baker (as Gwen), Sam Eley (as Basil Crumbwick), Sam Nicoresti (host), Sardines.
19th September, 2022
New Jokes
Queen’s Head, Piccadilly
With Esther Manito, Kate-Lois Elliott, Gbemi Oladipo, Lyle Barke, Jamie Allerton, Richard Spalding, Sam Eley.
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