James Pendleton used to live in Russia. Not for work, not for a relationship - he just went. Packed a bag, figured it out as he went along. Bold. Adventurous. The kind of decision that defines you.

Now he's back in the UK with a proper job, a long-term relationship, all the markers of adult life sorted. So why does it feel like he had more control stumbling through Moscow with broken Russian than he does ordering lunch?

Max Turner Prize 2024 Semi-Finalist James Pendleton brings his full-length show to Brighton Fringe 2026 after selling out Brighton Fringe 2025 and workshopping at Edinburgh Fringe 2024. A regular at Backyard Comedy Club and Covent Garden Comedy Club, he's back with sharper material and deeper regrets.

[Title TBC] is about the gap between who you were and who you've become. It's about being emotionally intelligent enough to recognize every red flag but too conflict-averse to do anything about them. It's about modern masculinity, millennial paralysis, and the performance of having your life together when you're barely holding it.

Through sharp observational comedy and uncomfortable honesty, James explores what it means to be "sorted" in 2026 when you used to be the kind of person who just did things. Workplace absurdity, relationship chaos, and the question nobody wants to answer: when did playing it safe become the same as giving up?

It's funny. It's relatable. It will probably make you uncomfortable.

Perfect for: Anyone who's ever felt like an imposter in their own life. Millennials and Gen-Z who were told to be vulnerable and are now wondering if that made them easier to manipulate. People who used to be interesting.

45 minutes of stand-up that asks: are you living your life, or just watching it happen?

Come for the Russia stories. Stay for the existential crisis.