Behind the Mic: That's Clown
Hannah Cruickshank and Jeff Khan are a pair of absolute clowns. With an aim to make clowning accessible to all, particularly outside of the Fringe, they talk about their monthly gig, That's Clown
Tell me about That's Clown...
That’s Clown is a monthly comedy night in Glasgow dedicated to bringing the world’s best clowning talent to Scotland. It’s hosted by us, Hannah Cruickshank and Jeff Khan (good friends, sassy brunettes, big gossips).
Each month we feature a headline act supported by brilliant, local talent. We’ve had amazing headliners including Piotr Sikora’s Furiozo, Meg Hodgson’s Moonface, and Daniel Maseda’s 'Be Good!' With Paulette.
Clowning’s still relatively niche and while there’s lots of it at the Edinburgh Fringe, we want people to be able to see these exciting, unique shows year-round. We also want to encourage people to be clowns, so we facilitate workshops usually taught by our headliners.
How did it come about?
Jeff: At Fringe 2023, I walked into LA-based clown Claire Woolner’s mind-blowing show A Retrospection as a comedian and left desperate to be a clown. I spent the rest of August watching all the clowns I could find.
Hannah: Jeff said, “There’s this thing called clowning and we need to be doing it.” It was clear that there were not many gigs where this sort of comedy would fit in and that if there was ever going to be a clown scene in Glasgow, there needed to be a dedicated night to nurture it.
What was the first That's Clown night like?
Hannah: We had the wonderful Phil O’Shea as our headliner and the show was a delight, as the rest of them have been. We haven’t changed the formula since the first night because it just worked.
Jeff: I remember standing watching Phil wring laugh after laugh out of the audience by wandering about with a dog mask on and feeling so excited about what we’d put together. I’ve felt that at every show since.
Who would be your dream artist to work with and why?
Julia Masli is such a captivating performer and her show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha is magical. If she ever stands on our stage, we’d be blessed.
What's been your best takeaway from running That’s Clown?
Hannah: The biggest thing for us about running the night is that it’s enjoyable. We book people we think are funny, we perform things we think are funny, and we’re nice to each other when we’re doing admin.
Jeff: Hannah and I have been doing comedy together for over a decade, so we have a solid foundation of love and respect for each other’s work and opinions. My big takeaway is if you can do this sort of thing with your best mate, it’s so much more enjoyable.
Who on the comedy scene do you think we should look out for?
Us (wink). Also Phil O’Shea’s monthly show Clown Extravaganza in Edinburgh is a lovely show for the clown-curious on the east coast – next show is 5 June at Banshee Labyrinth.
What’s the funniest gig you've seen and why?
Jeff: The Underground Monk Show is filled with my favourite clowns. It’s a perfect hour that I’ve seen twice already and will see again when they return to Fringe 2026. You won’t have a better time anywhere this August.
Hannah: This is a cruel question because I love to go to comedy shows and laugh. I second the Monks endorsement but I’m adding a special mention for Tarot’s ghost train sketch that made me cry laughing both times I saw it. I would like to see it a third time.
What’s clown?
Jeff: People always ask us, “What is clown?” It’s a hard one because if you watched twenty clown shows, they’d all be very different. Clowning can be surreal, silly, moving, scary, and odd in ways other forms of comedy usually can’t. It’s all about being sensitive to the audience. Clown isn’t easy to define but anything you see at our show, that’s clown.
Hannah: I didn’t spend thousands of pounds going to clown school in France to just give the secrets away.
What's next for That’s Clown?
We’re booked up with incredible talent from far and wide deep into 2026, so any show you come to will be unreasonably brilliant. We’re also hoping a little Fringe run might materialise.
Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about?
You can follow us on Instagram to see exactly what excellent clowns we have at our upcoming shows and you can also subscribe to our Substack, we’re @thatsthatco on both. And we’re not allowed to say officially yet but we’re going to be [redacted] with none other than [redacted] on the 16th of [redacted]. We’re so excited.
That's Clown, Gael & Grain Glasgow, 28 Jun, 7.30pm; Monkey Barrel Comedy (Niddry Street), Edinburgh, 9-30 Aug, 11.55pm
@thatsthatco on Instagram