Elf Lyons is an award-winning comedian, clown, theatre maker, director, writer, and voice artist, celebrated for her boundary-pushing performances that captivate audiences across the UK’s comedy and theatre scenes. With a dedicated cult following, she’s recognized as one of the most innovative performers of her generation, and was named by The Telegraph as one of the Top 50 Funniest Comedians of the 21st Century. Elf won the 2025 Sky Arts Best Comedy Award for her show Horses.

Her eclectic body of work ranges from re-enacting classical ballets and creating musicals about the economy to staging immersive horror experiences and delivering captivating lectures at prestigious venues like the Barbican.

Elf’s accolades include the Best Show ISH Comedy Award, Comedians’ Choice Award, Mervyn Stutter’s Spirit of the Fringe (2024), and she was crowned Best Comedy and Pick of the Fringe at Adelaide Fringe 2023. She was also nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Awards Best Show in 2017.

Her television and radio credits feature Comedians Giving Lectures (Dave), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV2), The A to Z of Horror Movies (Sky Original), Evil Genius (BBC Sounds), and The Dog Ate My Homework (CBBC). A prolific writer, Elf contributes regularly to The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, and has been a three-time cover star of The Sunday Times Culture.

Following the critical acclaim of Horses at Edinburgh Fringe 2024, which toured the UK and Australia in 2025, Elf’s latest project is a final run of her acclaimed Bird Trilogy: Swan, Chiff Chaff, and Raven.

WINNER: SKY ARTS AWARD, COMEDY, HORSES, 2025

WIINER: BEST SHOW ISH COMEDY AWARD 2024

WINNER: COMEDIANS CHOICE AWARD 2024

WINNER: MERVYN STUTTERS’S SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE 2024

WINNER: ADELAIDE FRINGE ‘BEST COMEDY’ & ‘PICK OF THE FRINGE’ 2023

NOMINEE: EDINBURGH FRINGE AWARD BEST SHOW 2017

NOMINEE: MALCOLM HARDEE AWARD FOR COMIC ORIGINALITY 

NOMINEE: BRITISH COMEDY GUIDE’S COMEDIANS CHOICE AWARD 

NOMINEE: NEURODIVERSE REVIEW DEAF ACTION DEAF EXCELLENCE AWARD 

NOMINEE: FRINGE WORLD ‘BEST COMEDY SHOW

BRITISH VOGUE’S ’20 NAMES OF NOW’

One of the 50 funniest comedians of the 21st Century – THE TELEGRAPH

“Frankly brilliant…praise her genius-and go”  ★★★★★ THE TELEGRAPH

“Expert clowning that’s by turns charming, silly, touching and catastrophic” ★★★★ SUNDAY TIMES

“This is comedy as enchantment” ★★★★ THE SCOTSMAN

“Elf Lyons is a monster of a performer and she is beautiful” ★★★★★ BROADWAY BABY

“Hysterical tour de-force” ★★★★★ THREE WEEKS

★★★★★ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL GUIDE 

★★★★ THE GUARDIAN

★★★★ SUNDAY TIMES

★★★★ EVENING STANDARD

★★★★ THE LIST

★★★★ FEST MAG

★★★★ CHORTLE

★★★★ THE SKINNY

★★★★★ STARBURST MAGAZINE

★★★★★ QUINTISSENTIAL MAGAZINE