About Elf
ONE OF THE 50 FUNNIEST COMEDIANS OF THE 21st CENTURY - THE TELEGRAPH
WINNER - BEST COMEDY - SKY ARTS AWARDS 2025
WINNER - PICK OF THE WEEK - ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL - 2025
WINNER - BEST SHOW - (ISH) EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARDS - EDINBURGH FRINGE
WINNER - BEST SHOW - COMEDIANS CHOICE AWARD - EDINBURGH FRINGE
WINNER - MERVYN STUTTER'S SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE AWARD - EDINBURGH FRINGE
WINNER - BEST SHOW - REYKJAVIK FRINGE 2024
WINNER - BEST COMEDY - ADELAIDE FRINGE 2024
WINNER - BEST BIT OF TIMBER - THE COMEDIANS CHOICE - THE BIN AWARDS- MICF
NOMINEE: SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE - THE BIN AWARDS - MICF
NOMINEE: BEST SHOW - EDINBURGH COMEDY AWARD, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
WHAT IS SHE?
Elf Lyons is an award-winning performer - working in the realms of comedy, clowning, bouffon, stand-up, verbatim theatre and live art. With over ten years of experience working as a professional comic, Elf spends her months touring internationally with her solo shows and directing and teaching artists of all creative disciplines around the world. She loves making work that stretches the relationship between comedy, theatre and performance art. In the last few years she has been lucky to work on creative projects with establishments such as the Barbican, the British Library, the London Science Museum, the Royal Society of Literature and the City of London to name a few. She is the most programmed artist at the Soho Theatre, London.
Elf's solo work has included solo shows re-enacting classical ballet using found items, musicals about the economy whilst dressed as a Lion, a mime show about a bank robbery and a comedy horror extravaganza inspired by the work of Stephen King.
WHAT IS SHE UP TO??
This year in 2026 Elf is building her new show The Woman On the Edge, touring Australia and New Zealand with Swan, prepping to take Raven to the United States, writing a horror novel and directing the incredible acts Sophie Garrad, Katie Norris and Cecily HItchcock for their 2026 Ed Fringe Shows.
In 2025 Elf toured the UK, Europe and Australia with her shows Horses, Swan, Raven and Chiffchaff and returned to the Edinburgh fringe with her acclaimed Bird Trilogy which sold out the entire run. In September 2025 Elf was awarded Best Comedy at the Sky Arts Awards. Her podcast Elfonomics released its fourth series and she directed half a dozen shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, each going on to receive ★★★★★ reviews.
In 2024, Elf received 12 ★★★★★ reviews and had a sell out run of her show Horses at the Edinburgh Fringe. She was awarded the (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show, the Comedian's Choice Award for Best Show and the Mervyn Stutter 'Spirit of the Fringe' Award. For her show Raven she was awarded Best Show at the Reykjavik Fringe, Iceland and was awarded Best Comedy at the Adelaide Fringe, Australia.
In 2023 Elf was listed as Number 25 in The Telegraphs' 50 Best Comedians of the 21st Century' and was nominated for the Deaf Action Award for Deaf Excellence for her comedy show Heist which she developed with the visual vernacular performer, Duffy. She performed and toured three different one hour comedy shows. These included; HEIST - an absurdist comedy show conducted entirely in BSL with Duffy; TALKS DIRTY - a one hour straight stand-up show about filth; and RAVEN - her ★★★★★ mad-cap comedy horror show. In April 2023 Elf had her stage debut at the Arcola Theatre in the role of Rachel in Lisa Carroll's stage play The Misandrist where she received rave reviews for her performance.
HOW MANY SHOWS HAS SHE MADE??
Loads. Horses, Heist (with Duffy), Raven, Talks Dirty, Gorgon:A Horror Story, Unlikely Darlings (with Helen Duff), Love Songs to Guinea Pigs, Medusa, ChiffChaff, Swan, Hilda & The Spectrum (with Ryan Lane), Pelican and Being Barbarella... and others.
CAN SHE WRITE?
Alongside her live work Elf is a well respected writer. She has written for The Guardian, The Times, The Scotsman, The Telegraph, The Independent, Londonist, Cosmopolitan Magazine and Refinery29, among others. Topics have ranged from ethical non monogamy, the power of horror to economics. She is currently writing a book on clowning and the power of play.
CAN I HEAR HER ANYWHERE?
Elf frequently guests on podcasts and radio programmes discussing subjects as varied as polyamory, economics and a wide range of political and social issues. She has been featued and interviewed on Classical Fix (BBC Radio 3), Loose Ends (BBC Radio 4), Standard Issue, The Spectator Podcast, The Insider for The Economist, Unexpected Fluids (Radio 1), Evil Genius (BBC Sounds), and BBC World Service’s Stand Up Show – London (BBC World Service)among many other acclaimed podcasts and radio shows. You can hear her frequently on The Breakfast Show and Culture Hour (Times Radio) and The Colin Murray Show (BBC Radio 5).
You can listen to her hit podcast Elfonomics on Apple Podcasts and her radio play Gorgon: A Horror Story on Bandcamp.
I WANT TO BE WITH HER.
Elf loves to work with other artists, theatre venues and production houses to create dynamic, unique and one of a kind projects. If you have an idea, get in contact.
HOW CAN I TELL HER I LOVE HER?
Agent:
Janette Linden at PBJ Management
020 7287 1112
Acting Agent :
For Touring contact Ruben at Mick Perrin Management.
Tel: +44 (0)1273 622529
Email: ruben@mickperrin.com
For enquiries regarding Voice work contact Laura Milne at The Joneses.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7253 8462
Email: laura@meetthejoneses.co.uk
For enquiries regarding teaching, directing and dramaturgy, contact Elf Lyons directly.
Email: info@theelflyons.com
If you would like to include Elf in your DYCP grant application, please read her 'Directing' page first before enquiring.
