iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

sean morley @seanmorl.com · 28/09/2026

less of a newsletter this week - more some writing tidbits. here's one of them buttondown.com/seanmorl/arc...

a robot
In 2014 I was doing a comedy competition in a social club and the organiser started splitting the acts into two rows against two opposing walls. One wall was all the straight white men, and the others was for anyone else, anything a bit "unusual" like "gays" or "women". A middle aged hand ascended from the back ranks, "where should I go?"
"What are you?" the organiser asked.
"A robot", he said, pulling a big square head out of an IKEA bag.

sean morley @seanmorl.com · 27/08/2026

last bit of praise for the show. 4 stars in the scotsman. the review's paywalled so youll have to get the edited highlights i put together for instagram.

4 stars
The scotsman
"Hugely enjoyable"
"A succession of twists and surprises"
"A ludicrously committed and expensive endeavour"
"Something terrible is going to happen to Morley"

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 21/08/2026

high alert late night nothing party The Glang Show will be appearing at this year's edinburgh fringe as a late notice end of festival problem buffet. please indulge 'An economic suicide note' (chortle) www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 20/08/2026

lets gooo got the big ★★★★★ from chontle dot com www.chortle.co.uk/review/2026/... "another escalation from one of the world’s most supernaturally creative comic voices"

a picture of me smiling at the sky.

sean morley: backchannel
five stars
after many years on the fringes of the fringe and [the text truncates here]

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 19/08/2026

To everyone who's been telling me i deserve a bigger audience, you'll be glad to know ive successfully expanded to people who've lost their minds

Fabro
(Audience member)
A wonderfully original, inventive, and funny show. This is like nothing else at the Fringe. Also I just asked ChatGPT for its award shortlist predictions and this came up fourth. Go while you can still get a ticket!!

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 16/08/2026

British Comedy Guide (@britishcomedy.bsky.social) have listed Backchannel as one of their recommendations for this year's fringe! Finally, I'm industry approved. I'm rubberstamped by the kingmakers.

Sean Morley: Backchannel
Absolutely one of the best shows of the Fringe. Sean Morley has created a whole new, innovative form of crowdwork. Deserving of a much wider Fringe audience, it's the show I'll be rushing to see a second time

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 07/08/2026

And while I'm up I'm doing one one-off show of my prototypical experimental gameshow Sean Morley's Normal Game on Saturday night at half midnight. Youve gotta select the ticket for 9th august tho because it counts as the next day. Thats just how dates work. Tix: www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...

Sean morley's normal game
Multifaceted megaquiz

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 06/08/2026

I'm at the fringe all month with a funny comedy show about [????]. So if you're up in edinburgh or know someone who is then why not risk it all on a hectic hour. Details & tickets: www.edfringe.com/tickets/what...

Liebenspiel presents
The future is here. Mouth wet - eyes hungry

Sean Morley
backchannel
7.50pm monkey barrel the studio
Aug 3 - 30 (not 12, 20)

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 06/08/2026

Cornetto guy came to the show yesterday on a Pay What You Want ticket. Afterwards he shook my hand and told me he loved it and gave me what looked like a tenner but turned out to be 10 turkish lira.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 06/08/2026

ill try to keep fringe stuff limited to the instagram showbiz sinkhole but im three days in and the shows going pretty well so far. people are writing some nice things.

Sean Morley: Backchannel - Fringe Review
Writer: Thomas Levi
Thomas Levi
1 day ago
2 min read

★★★★★

Sean Morley has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of what stand-up can be, and Backchannel, playing at Monkey Barrel Comedy, feels like another leap forward: a show that interrogates the relationship between performer and audience while delivering some of the biggest laughs you'll hear in Edinburgh.

“Sean Morley: Backchannel” – Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★☆
“Excellent comedy that is bang up to date”

This is part of a series of shorter reviews from Edinburgh Fringe, August 2026.

Julie Tyler
(Audience member)
Outstanding! Very original and inventive, and deserving of a much bigger audience. Highly recommended, especially if you fancy a change from the standard stand-up format.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 05/08/2026

"this is a case of a small delay rather than 'you won't be paid'".

Firm behind one of UK's biggest comedy festivals folds
A man standing on his stager with a crowd in front of him
Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
Leicester Comedy Festival has taken place for more than 30 years

ByLiam Barnes
East Midlands

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 23/07/2026

Patlabor The Movie 2 (1993)

A heavily damaged Labor (that's what they call the big robots in patlabor) is hoisted out of a tunnel into an area that's full of seagulls

Yukihito Tsuge stands looking through his binoculars surrounded by seagulls.

Shinobu Nagumo stares into the lens surrounded by seagulls

Shinobu Nagumo and Yukihito Tsuge clasp hands while surrounded by seagulls

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 15/07/2026

Patlabor The Movie (1989)

The ceiling of a control room full of birds

Noa Izumi enters the control room full of birds. She says "Birds...?"

Noa Izumi turns to see a raven squawking at her. Her look of surprise is visible between the gaps in the raven's wing feathers.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 14/07/2026

ah yeah ok. the murderer could have been leftwing *or* they could have been an anarchist *or* they could have been interested in a single thing (unspecified)

Investigators are considering whether leftwing, anarchist and single-issue terrorism (LASIT) played a role in the suspect’s alleged motivation,

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 11/07/2026

In May Leicester Comedy Festival's parent company announced payments to most of its artists would be delayed, but that "this is a case of a small delay rather than 'you won't be paid'". Their building's just been repossessed.

Arts venue repossessed due to 'financial struggles'
Street view of The Big Difference venue on Leicester's High Street.
Image caption,
The Big Difference arts venue opened in 2020

By Sonia Kataria
East Midlands
Published
2 hours ago
An arts venue, managed by the charity that runs the annual Leicester Comedy Festival, has been repossessed due to financial issues.

The Big Difference, on the High Street in Leicester city centre, opened its doors in 2020 aimed at showcasing new talent and local performers in music and comedy.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 08/07/2026

On the 25th July I'll be performing at the Stanley Arts Work In Progress comedy weekend in South London alongside some of the great and good. It'll be my final preview before the Fringe. The last chance to take some wild swings. Full programme here: www.standupatstanley.com/who-is-on

Stanley at Stanley
A Work In Progress Comedy Festival Featuring:
31 Shows in 2 Days
Sam Campbell, Tim Key, Rose Matafeo, Nish Kumar, Daniel Kitson, Lou Sanders, Mark Thomas, Helen Bauer, Laura Smyth, Rob Auton, Elis James, Ayoade Bamgboye, Alison Spittle, Ed Night, Sean McLoughline, Celya AB, Elliot Steel, Will Adamsdale, Sean Morley, Rohan Sharma, John Tothill, Huge Davies, Cairan Dowd, Tom Neenan, Amy Annette, Alice Snedden, Ele McKenzie, Michael Odewale & Li Jin Hao, Tamsyn Kelly, Gavin Osborn and John Osborne

July 25 & 26

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 07/07/2026

Upcoming Comedy in #Sheffield Two Edinburgh Preview shows from Eric Rushton (Sean Lock Comedy Award winner) and Sean Morley (me, Sean Morley) at fruit and veg co-operative @regather.bsky.social on 18th July. Tickets: www.ticketsource.com/sean-morley/... @helpsheffield.co.uk

A splitscreen image of Eric Rushton (top left) and Sean Morley (bottom right)

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 07/07/2026

this last bit can't be true, can it?

"Morely" can refer to a surname derived from place names or be used informally as a slang term meaning "more or less" or "actually."

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 06/07/2026

Latest newsletter: make the moon great again mentions: ovals in bloodstream, gender affirming violence, disc rot, wasting the moon, edinburgh previews, discount codes, a brief description of an impossible and inadvisable show buttondown.com/seanmorl/arc...

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 29/06/2026

what's going on here then

Hi Sean,

We’re reaching out to let you know that we have made the difficult decision to wind down Weebly services in your country due to changes in regulation and to simplify our global operations. Weebly will no longer be available for customers based in Vietnam after 09/20/1999.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 28/06/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to Normal Game this afternoon. Congratulations to our second ever winner Alun the whippet.

Ava Liversidge and Sean Morley with Alun the Whippet draped in their glorious medal. Runner-up Jonathan Holt crouches below.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 28/06/2026

The second of the Normal Game WIP shows comes to Manchester this afternoon. Meet me at Fairfield Social Club at 2pm if you want to get your mind blown open. www.seetickets.com/event/sean-m...

Big data meets big society meets big art.
A gameshow primed to pierce heaven
Sean Morley's Normal Game
multifaceted mega-quiz
www.seanmorl.com/normalgame

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 22/06/2026

ok but can you apologise for this bit?

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 18/06/2026

Thank you to all brave souls who came to the first Normal Game with me and @avaavavah.bsky.social. And also to our first ever winner @eikebentley.bsky.social! Want to be our second ever winner? The next Normal Game WIP is in Manchester on Sunday 28th: tickets: www.seetickets.com/event/sean-m...

Sean Morley (from Sean Morley's Normal Game) with inaugural winner Eike and co-host and rival Ava Riverside.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 10/06/2026

i might be the most prolific mark dolan streamer in the world

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 09/06/2026

This Sunday in Sheffield I'm doing the first Work In Progress for my new medium-tech quiz gameshow. Sean Morley's Normal Game is the first quiz show where the host has not and will not write any questions. It is an experiment. 2pm Sunday, Alder, Sheffield www.seanmorl.com/normalgame

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 04/06/2026

Latest newsletter is out. Featuring: - the optimal seat to sit on the coach if you dont want anyone to sit next to you - what is an anti-quiz - the bulletin board aka can a newsletter be a social media platforn sign up: www.seanmorl.com/mailinglist all newsletters: www.seanmorl.com/posts/

a diagram showing the optimal place to sit on a coach if you don't want anyone to sit next to you

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 31/05/2026

The least compromised song contest in Earth history. New songs, new lore, new problems. Morlvision is tonight at 7pm on www.twitch.tv/seanmorl

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 29/05/2026

*MORLVISION* is *this Sunday* Earth's least disgraced international song contest returns with 32 artists, 32 songs, mini-games, diversions, lore and the irredeemable flesh-ghost of Terry Wogan (@bjalborough.bsky.social) Watch & Vote live: Sunday 7pm twitch.tv/seanmorl

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 13/05/2026

he'd love lifeline (2003) imo

the box art for lifeline, a game king charles would love if he could just learn to enunciate

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 02/05/2026

legendary charity shop pull

a soviet pennant. its in cyrillic so i cant type what it says

the same pennant but run through google translate:
to the winner of the all-union socialist competition 1989

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 15/04/2026

MORLVISION 2026 SIGNUPS ARE OPEN My funny little song contest is in its sixth year. Hosted by myself and the rewarmed meat of Terry Wogan (@bjalborough.bsky.social). Details: www.seanmorl.com/morlvision Signup: forms.gle/3Q2yzBVsmfLR... Competition broadcast 7pm 31st May @ twitch.tv/seanmorl

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 07/04/2026

latest newsletter/dispatch is out topics: my new anti-yearning stance, i hate the new food delivery robots, im up to loads of live shows this year, angeline era is a great videogame and everyone should play it tune in: www.seanmorl.com/mailinglist

a block of flats is collapsing.

no more yearning
www.seanmorl.com/mailinglist

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 01/04/2026

This August I'll be doing my first proper Fringe run in seven years. My show is called Backchannel. justified by suffering, refined through effort and perfected by accident. the show is about trust. and if you break mine ill break your head in half i swear to god www.seanmorl.com/fringe26

The current early version of the Backchannel fringe poster.
The main image is me, eyes shut due to unspecified ecstasy (the emotion, not the drug)

Liebenspiel presents
The future is here, mouth wet - eyes hungry.
Sean Morley
Backchannel
'brilliant, best thing i saw at the fringe' chortle
'a one-of-a-kind comedian' the skinny
'prepare to laugh very hard indeed' the list

7.50pm
monkeybarrel
the studio
aug 3-30 (not 12,20)
i have a website also if you'd like to visit: www.seanmorl.com

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 04/03/2026

queer anticapitalist joy is when you move to a new community and start slaying their ancestral spirits for rare earth minerals

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 26/02/2026

My thin veneer of neutrality on the Luke Horton vs Phlegm debate has lost me the support of r/Sheffield.

What an overly pretentious, drawn out and culturally disconnected article.

Luke hortons 'art work' is not special, it isn't something to celebrate. It's something a child could make.

What makes a city unique is having unique culture and phlegms work was far more inspired and unique then this that like hortons work is.

QUOTE Phlegm’s artwork feels chaotic and detached, the marginalia of depressed monks. They’re rich texts. But what they don’t say is: We love Sheffield. END QUOTE

No, they don't say "we love Sheffield". Because they're a part of the Sheffield that we love. It's not self-congratulatory narcissism, it's genuinely inventive oddness.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 22/02/2026

this should be enough to go off

a living room corner of indeterminate class.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 11/02/2026

dont want to alarm anyone, least of all myself, but my show Backchannel is coming to @leicestercomedyfestival (they dont have an account) this Sunday. come see the show simply everyone is calling "an experiment" (Chortle, 2025) tix - www.seanmorl.com/lcf also rip philippe gaulier

Sean Morley prays for succour in a blank void.

Sean Morley, Backchannel, Sunday 15th Feb, Leicester Comedy Festival, seanmorl.com/lfc

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 02/02/2026

📸 New snaps! All aspects of my personality ensnared and embalmed for posterity and press releases. Lovingly snapped by @mattatat.bsky.social who I endorse and recommend. 📍 the swampy bit of grass between crookes cemetary and the allotments.

sean morley in a wonderful yellow jumper reflecting thoughtfully

sean morley languid and exhaling in a fetching square-patterned.

sean morley back in his yellow jumper experiencing the ecstasy of prayer

sean morley touching his cheeks with his finger tips while wearing a turquoise cardigan. also his face is festooned with nasal strips.

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 30/01/2026

playing Lifeline was a magical time for me

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 28/01/2026

werner herzog voice: sadly the wanderer has gone completely mad. the sea of fog will surely kill him

David Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog

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sean morley @seanmorl.com · 27/01/2026

My current show Backchannel was listed #2 in a list of the top 20 shows of 2025 in Chortle. Anyway, if you want to see it it's coming to Leicester Comedy Festival on 15th Feb. Tickets: seanmorl.com/lcf

2. Sean Morley: Backchannel

This was a hugely welcome return to stand-up from the elusive Morley, one of our country’s greatest minds, back after a hiatus in the Netherlands. This work-in-progress show played for only three nights at the Fringe but was up there with the most exciting things I saw all year. Opening with a white-knuckle empathy simulator in which Morley undergoes a preventable tragedy live on stage, this WIP turned into a brilliantly funny examination of the comedian’s relationship with his audience, enabled by a simple mechanism that allows us to feed back on his performance anonymously in real time. Time will tell if this is an incredibly bad idea.

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