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Promotional art for Not My Finest Hour
Cover image credit: Promotional image via Comedy Dynamics

Not My Finest Hour

Alexandra Haddow

Comedy Dynamics · 2024 · 55 min

Cheerfully unrepentant stand-up about affairs, bad dates, and early mistakes.

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The central routine turns on an affair with a married man who happens to be somewhat famous. Alexandra Haddow’s tactical advice on the matter is simple: always make sure you are the unmarried party, because turning the scandal into an hour of stand-up means an audience might mistake you for being brave instead of awful.

The show is structured like a celebrity Notes-app apology, detailing bad decisions from her twenties without asking for sympathy. Specific stories include an awkward trip from Essex to a high-end London hotel to lose her virginity, having an abortion, and the divide between people who keep surplus wine and people who drink whatever alcohol is in the flat immediately.

A former journalist, Haddow spent years working the UK club circuit and opening for Frankie Boyle before recording this debut. Filmed at Hackney’s Moth Club in May 2024, the set followed a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a Best New Show nomination at the Leicester Comedy Festival. Reviews at Edinburgh praised her comfortable delivery, though some critics pointed out that easy charm often did the work where sharper self-analysis was missing.

Notable bits & set list

4 bits

  1. Having an affair in her twenties with a married, minor celebrity 18 years older than her.

    Framing the confession as a satirical notes-app-style apology while dissecting insincere excuses like celebrity drug defenses and noting generational divides in alcohol consumption.

  2. Losing her virginity with a school boyfriend at a fancy London hotel.

    Recounting the unglamorous reality of being critiqued on her sexual performance by a fellow virgin and facing immediate public humiliation.

  3. Dating a criminal-adjacent London man who believes in astrology.

    Finding humor in her own poor romantic judgment and the juxtaposition of street-smart masculinity with crystals and chakras.

  4. Growing up in Corby with an English mother and a Scottish father.

    Ribbing Corby's grim reputation and exploring her Scottish father's discomfort at fathering an English daughter.

How it plays

Tone
Cheeky, sharp, candid, and self-effacing.
On stage
Personable, assured, self-deprecating over-sharer with natural poise, combining cheeky attitude and a confessional delivery.
Pace
Relaxed and conversational pacing with reliable comic timing, using charm and pauses to draw the audience into her confidence.
About
dating history and relationships, infidelity and being the other woman, losing virginity, working-class background and hometown life in Corby, feminism, morality, and public apologies

What the critics said

Praised for Haddow's natural charisma, poised presence, and engaging storytelling, though some reviewers noted the hour was occasionally shallow or undercooked when probing the deeper complexities of its confessional premise.

In the room: Warm and receptive to her relaxed, confidential bar-chat intimacy and scandalous anecdotes.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: comedydynamics.com, justwatch.com, chortle.co.uk, comedy.co.uk, timeout.com, theqr.co.uk, edfestmag.com, theweereview.com, hoxtonradio.com.

Backstory

Material centers on Haddow's misadventures, romantic choices, and transgressions in her twenties, notably reflecting on accountability, public perception of morality, and celebrity apology tropes.

Details

Released
Taped
Moth Club, London
Runtime
55 min
Where
Comedy Dynamics
Director
Jamie Touche
Honors
Nominee: Best New Show / Best Debut Show (Leicester Comedy Festival 2023)
Topics

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