​

ED Fringe reviews for Crimeschool August 2022

“I got a word of mouth tip off: @MadRonSpanners Crime School @Justthetonic #edfringe An absolute gem. A masterclass in criminality (and comedy writing) from Uxbridge’s third hardest man.  Packed with gags, and I discovered my gangster name - Cheesy Fred” (Lucy Porter, Twitter)

“I discovered 'Mad Ron ' who I then went on to watch his full hour long show later on in the evening - and it was my favourite show of the whole fringe, had me in stitches throughout! Genius saw a lot of shows this year, this was the funniest by far. 5 stars.” (Patrick Cromb, www.edfringe.com)

“Saw Mad Ron as part of the Rush of Laughter Showcase and he was a highlight of my Fringe! Absolutely brilliant character comedy, delivered perfectly. Definitely worth seeing if you want belly laughs and tips on committing crime.” (Sally Thomas, www.edfringe.com)

“Excellent character show, solid comedy from beginning to end. One liners, stories, callbacks, the occasional pun. Mad Ron knows what he's doing, and it's criminally good. Bottom line: You ain't seen him, right? But you absolutely should. Five (GTA) stars.” (Barry the Beamer, www.edfringe.com)

“Loved it! Mad Ron may be the third hardest man in Uxbridge, but I’m sure he could easily take on a few neds in Edinburgh as well! Really funny and a great performance! 5 stars!” (Kevin Beetlestone, www.edfringe.com)

“So, so funny. Laugh-a-minute show. Absolutely loved it.” (Joel Anderson, www.edfringe.com)

​

Hoofers Comedy Club Mansfield Oct 2019

We resumed after the intermission with Mad Ron, a character act. The character in this case being an old, grumpy London villain. With his bald head, staring eyes and jacket, it didn’t take a lot for Steve Lee, the man behind Ron, to stamp his presence on the night. His delivery was relatively slow, but this worked wonderfully in his favour with this well constructed set. His writing was intelligent, the jokes were powerful and the pacing emphasised his status as a man who is doing things on his own terms. As said, the jokes themselves were strong, but it was the incidental elements that I thought really sold it. The props, the visual gag at the end, the expression when his face lit up and above all his method of replying to his friend’s message. Mad Ron’s set was a delight from beginning to end and I wanted more of it.

Steve Lee first came to my attention in Roger Swift’s Edinburgh show sketch, where his portrayal of an Australian customs official who was struggling to believe Roger is for real was superb:

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtYdBRxXxQ4&fbclid=IwAR2lcPd2XY2B7XqNdR8tRuBCu7YrnTbuYOvKi4NDL8JwGxhg9a4y48mHuYw - Peter Fox (Notts Comedy Review)

​

Essex Comedian of the Year Final 2019  Mad Ron kept the laughs rolling with his well constructed personae, superior improvisation, and some sublime throwaway gags. - Paul Golder (Pheonix FM)

​

Leicester Square New Comedian of The Year Final 2018  First up was Mad Ron, an guff-talking, old-school London hardman. Think Hale and Pace’s Bruiser The Management, if your memory goes back that far, who were also called Ron and Ron. Amid his threatening manner, this unapologetic wrong’un bemoans such new fangled developments as vaping or email, and has amusingly intolerant lines to explain why. It’s a well-constructed, well-practised set providing a  dependable, gag-focussed start to the night, if not quite the wow factor to make the podium - Steve Bennett (Chortle)

​

​

Leicester Comedy Festival 2018 ‘Mad Ron’ came next, and he appeared to be a fan favourite right from the word go. His persona was funny on its own, and his Phil Mitchell-esque voice and character makes him unique and he provides a different type of experience .......Ron was the only comedian who utilised any physical comedy, when using basic props briefly, and this was a very funny and subtle set up for his next punchline. ……. the punchlines of the hard man were well received. - Tyler Arthur (Leicestershire Press)

​

​

Balham Comedy Festival New Act competition 2016….. his stoney-faced act was about how villains were too soft these days, too much cybercrime and not enough thumping people……. tart social observations, surreal flashes and turns of phrase that caught your attention...…... Plenty of conviction. - Bruce Dessau (Beyond the Joke)

​

NATYS 2019 Mad Ron, played by Steve Lee, is apparently the third hardest man in Uxbridge and was trying his best to cope with life on the outside after years of doing porridge in the big house. His hard-as-nails routine certainly had me laughing, especially his take on modern communications. - Buddy Hell
 

​

Leicester Comedy Festival 2019 As the annual Leicester Comedy Festival gets into full swing, Mad Ron, the self-proclaimed third hardest man in Uxbridge, returned to the Exchange bar with his new show ‘Talking to Millennials’.

This time last year, Mad Ron appeared in ‘The One Liner Show’ alongside other comedians who take a much more short and snappy approach to their comedy.

The eponymous hard man is a character who, in his first ever solo show, sets out to educate his audience on the good old days, and calls the millennials to a life of crime, instead of pursuing the ‘menial distractions of work and responsibility’.

The spoof motivational speech from Ron – who took home third place in the 2019 NATYS, a prestigious comedy New Act of The Year competition with previous finalists including Russell Brand, Jack Whitehall and Stewart Lee – was held in the small cosy venue in Leicester’s city centre, on February 11.

Mad Ron opened the show with his stand-up and was off to a strong start, this is what he does best. The pacing is varied and works well, and his jokes hit the spot – some more than others, naturally, but the crowd was engaged, and the style was unique and objectively funny.

Tales of his criminal past and objections to the ways of millennials living their young lives in the modern age, with the plagues of technology and vaping, provide unpredictable punchlines, and often multiple for the same joke. This is something which the comic could build on for some absolute killer material. The ability to have the crowd laughing, pause, and then deliver another line to add another, which is even funnier, is so powerful in the world of stand-up, and for someone only three years into his comedy career is really promising.

The key thing which Mad Ron has on his side is the material. His jokes are his strength, and the delivery is good, which means that no matter what he does, there is potential in his work. Halfway through the show, there was a movement to crowd-involvement, which wasn’t anything special, and which also introduced the guest comedian, Sarah Crowden – an actress who is making her way in character comedy as ‘Dame Theresa Thompson’s-Gazelle’.

Dame Theresa is a character who very much builds her act around double entendre and innuendo humour, which got a few laughs from the friendly crowd. The stylised grandma character, with an amusing costume admittedly, can make it slightly uncomfortable. The difficulty of a character which is shoehorned into the naughty innuendo comedy is that if a crowd doesn’t find one joke funny, you’ll likely miss on all of them. That obviously works both ways, and in the audience in Leicester it got laughs from many people who enjoyed the low-brow humour, but there may be a need for more depth to the jokes from the act.

Finally, Mad Ron returned and brought back the second half of his stand-up act, which picked up where it left off and regained the pace which the show started with, and some more brilliant punchlines concluded the hour.

The hardman comedian showed once again that he has real potential, and that his jokes – many of which resembled that which he showcased last year at the festival – are damn funny. The primary thing to ask of Ron is just to keep working on material. The slump in the middle of the show was there solely because an hour of pure stand-up doesn’t exist yet; but when it is, I’d pay to see it.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mad Ron isn’t done yet, if he continues to write and build on the act that he already has, he is set up for a really good show. Next time he appears at the Leicester Comedy Festival he will be able to lean more on his main set, and he will have any crowd in stitches – only half due to laughter. - Tyler Arthur (Leicestershire Press)