A GLASGOW-BASED comic has been “challenged” by the UK Government to make audiences laugh in her debut show at this year's Edinburgh Fringe — or face being deported.
Kate Hammer will share her “bizarre” experience of the UK’s visa processes along with tales of life growing up on a goat farm in Ontario and becoming what she claims is a “court jester” for Keir Starmer in her debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.
In her “Government Approved Comedian” show, Hammer lays out how the “relentless” immigration process required her to dig out 10 pieces of evidence from the last five years, three letters from “very important people”, and then £5000 pounds to pay for it.
Hammer explained that applying through the Global Talent Visa led to her having to trawl through her Facebook memories from seven years ago just to prove she has made people laugh as part of her job.
“It's all very stressful,” Hammer told The National.
“I was trying to get across the stress of the situation, but also make it a fun Fringe show for people to come and watch.
“So much of these applications is admin and searching for photos of me performing in the past five years at big events; you need so much evidence that doesn't include any social media, which is an interesting specification in this day and age.
“So many things are only promoted or announced on social media.”
The comic explained that she has received overwhelming support from other Scottish comedians and audience members, as she said that everyone she has met in the comic circuit has wanted to see her succeed.
Although as much as Hammer loves performing stand-up across the country, she said she always has the thought in the back of her head that she “needs” to succeed; otherwise, her whole life will be uprooted, as she would need to leave Scotland.
“Being in this career when you're in the green room of a comedy club and you're talking to other comedians and you're all tired and going, ‘oh gosh, we have to do another show’, but you have to remind yourself this is something we get to do,” she said.
“We chose to do this, and it is, at the end of the day, an amazing thing to be able to do and to be able to make money off this and do this as a living.”
Hammer added: “I have to pinch myself and remind myself like this is amazing, but then I also have to remind myself, I do also have to do this.
“I'm like the only one in the room that also very much has to do comedy to stay in the country.”
Hammer made Scotland her home more than five years ago when she came to Glasgow to study a Masters in TV writing.
Since arriving in Glasgow, she has become host and co-producer of All Mouth, one of Scotland’s only professional monthly queer comedy shows, and was a finalist in the Funny Women Awards in 2025 along with making the shortlist for the Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
Despite firmly solidifying herself in Scotland’s comedy scene, Hammer explains her show is about facing the fact that every year she faces deportation if she doesn’t meet her visa requirements — and challenges her audience to meet her own requirements for a good crowd member visa.
“I like to use those elements to take the audience through a visa process, but they're vying for a visa to stay in my show,” she said.
“So do you have 10 pieces of evidence of being a good audience member?
“Do you have photos of you laughing at comedic events in the past five years?
“Do you have three people who can vouch for you to be a good audience member, and do you have five thousand pounds?
“And I would say a surprising amount of people do not have five thousand pounds.”
Hammer, who describes herself as a “really energetic, positive and silly” type of comic, who grew up watching UK panel shows on her family farm, said she also wanted to explore the theme of belonging in her show.
Having toured around Scotland fine-tuning her show for August, Hammer said she wanted to focus on how she wanted to find a place that she could call home, but where she believes she shouldn't belong.
She said: “I like to use a little biking metaphor, as I cycle everywhere around Glasgow. I love it.
“It's the easiest way to get around, even if I show up soaking wet and muddy half the time. It's still like the best way to get around.
“But I would say that pedestrians don't like you when you're a cyclist.
“Cars hate you when you're a cyclist, but I am still technically, a vehicle on the road.”
She continued: “But I don't look like a vehicle. I don't sound like a vehicle.
“They want me to be in my own lane. I would love to be in my own lane.
“I think more bike lanes should be made, but it's that kind of feeling of going, ‘I'm always this kind of other person, I'm of this other entity’ as an immigrant.
“Obviously I'm an extremely privileged immigrant coming from Canada, and I think that's why it's nice to use this show to go, here's my experience coming from Canada as an immigrant and just think about other people who have to come from other places who don't have as many resources or support, and they're going through this as well.
Hammer added: “I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
“It really was a hard time in my life.”
Hammer’s Government Approved Comedian at the Monkey Barrel, which runs from August 3 to 30, comes off the back of her becoming one of this year’s recipients of the Blackfriars and Brass Tacks Debut Fund.
The fund, which is now in its second year of supporting Scotland-based comics to make their debut at the world’s largest arts festival, means Hammer’s costs are covered at a time when working-class comics are being priced out of the Fringe.
The Debut Fund covers her venue and registration fees, marketing, street team, PR and tech, and comes after she had put herself in debt to cover the £5000 for her visa.
“When I was told I had got the funding, I was close to tears because it's something that you can't afford to do unless you have a bit of backing,” she said.
She added: “Monkey Barrel are an amazing club.
“I'm so happy to be there. They're my dream debut.”
You can find tickets for Kate Hammer's Government Approved Comedian on the Edinburgh Fringe website which can be found here.
