Ade Ikoli
Actor
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A character chameleon with a mischievous glint, Ade slips into his 1920s Cop, born from his hit show READY OR NOT at Theatre Royal Stratford East, with cartoon timing. Stage bred and camerasharp, he’s the guy who can turn a side eye into a plot twist.
Writer
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Ade writes like he performs: fast, funny, and a little bit dangerous. In Getting the Message Wrong, a text spirals into glorious chaos, proof he can spin everyday mishaps into set piece comedy.
Highlight: Alfred Fagon Award Surprise Surprise (winner)
Comedian
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Wordplay, rhythm, and gap teeth, Ade’s stand up drifts into spoken word with a poetic monologue, switching from punchlines to pin drop in a beat.
Highlight: Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year finalist
A bit about Ade
My name’s Ade Ikoli. I write, act, do stand-up, produce, and direct. I know when you list too many things people start to wonder, “What are you actually good at?” The truth is, I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, acting in my dad Tunde Ikoli’s films “Elphida & Smack and thistle” while most kids were still learning their times tables.
I grew up in East London, mixed-race, with big teeth and a gap wide enough to bankrupt the Tooth Fairy. First impressions matter, and I’m more than aware of the picture I present. But comedy is how I’ve always flipped it, finding the laugh before anyone else can.
My work’s been a mix of theatre, stand-up, and film. Ready or Not at Theatre Royal Stratford East launched me into writing and performing. I’ve been nominated for Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year (and lost, no hard feelings), won the Alfred Fagon Award for Best Play, written the BBC Radio 1 panto Dream Team which drew 2.5 million listeners, and had my play Surprise Surprise commissioned by Working Title Films for the big screen.
But beyond credits, comedy is how I see life. Shoes tell you more about a person than they realise, if they’re so one-sided you’d have to take one off to stop walking in circles. Cream at the corner of someone’s mouth makes me laugh. Bad breath doesn’t.
What really gets me is how it’s always the bloke with the tsunami-style spitting lisp, the one who’s always been single, who has the most to say about relationships. He’s loud with it too, spitting (literally) pearls of wisdom no one asked for, while soaking your earlobe with every “s” and “sh.” And it’s never the happily married ones handing out marriage advice. No, it’s always him, the guy who’s never tested a single word of it in his own life, but somehow thinks he’s Cupid with a microphone.
This site is the front-row seat to my world, the plays, the comedy, the acting, the podcast, and everything else I get my hands on. Have a look, watch a video, and if you laugh, brilliant. If not, maybe you’re the bloke with the bad breath.
A bit about Ade
My name’s Ade Ikoli. I write, act, do stand-up, produce, and direct. I know when you list too many things people start to wonder, “What are you actually good at?” The truth is, I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, acting in my dad Tunde Ikoli’s films “Elphida & Smack and thistle” while most kids were still learning their times tables.
I grew up in East London, mixed-race, with big teeth and a gap wide enough to bankrupt the Tooth Fairy. First impressions matter, and I’m more than aware of the picture I present. But comedy is how I’ve always flipped it, finding the laugh before anyone else can.
My work’s been a mix of theatre, stand-up, and film. Ready or Not at Theatre Royal Stratford East launched me into writing and performing. I’ve been nominated for Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year (and lost, no hard feelings), won the Alfred Fagon Award for Best Play, written the BBC Radio 1 panto Dream Team which drew 2.5 million listeners, and had my play Surprise Surprise commissioned by Working Title Films for the big screen.
But beyond credits, comedy is how I see life. Shoes tell you more about a person than they realise, if they’re so one-sided you’d have to take one off to stop walking in circles. Cream at the corner of someone’s mouth makes me laugh. Bad breath doesn’t.
What really gets me is how it’s always the bloke with the tsunami-style spitting lisp, the one who’s always been single, who has the most to say about relationships. He’s loud with it too, spitting (literally) pearls of wisdom no one asked for, while soaking your earlobe with every “s” and “sh.” And it’s never the happily married ones handing out marriage advice. No, it’s always him, the guy who’s never tested a single word of it in his own life, but somehow thinks he’s Cupid with a microphone.
This site is the front-row seat to my world, the plays, the comedy, the acting, the podcast, and everything else I get my hands on. Have a look, watch a video, and if you laugh, brilliant. If not, maybe you’re the bloke with the bad breath.
