Review: Getting Triggy With It – Matt Parker Does the Maths, Fringe 2025

Stand-up comedian, best-selling author, and YouTuber Matt Parker has built a career on making maths magnificent. In his new show, Getting Triggy with It, he returns to the Fringe to find the comedy in complex calculations, the humour in algorithms, and the fun in functions. He kicks things off by dividing the audience into two groups: ‘Category Zero’ for the fellow maths geeks who watch his videos, and ‘Category One’ for those who’ve been brought along as a plus-one. It’s part of a brilliant opening that sets the stage for a show that cleverly caters to both.

For Geeks and their Plus-Ones

As a self-confessed (if not entirely qualified) ‘Category Zero’ attendee, I was in my element. This is a show that happily dives into the nerdy joy of optimising sort functions and the unexpected patterns of Markov chains. Parker is exploring the maths that shapes our world, and his enthusiasm is infectious. This isn’t just maths; it’s comedy gold.

But what if you’re a ‘Category One’ guest, dragged along by a nerd? Fear not. Parker is a multiple best-selling author for a reason, and that’s statistically unlikely to be a fluke. He is charismatic, engaging, and a fantastic storyteller. He can write stories as well as functions. The show is packed with genuine, laugh-out-loud moments that require no prior knowledge of Python or pi.

Better still, there’s a giant robot in it. I’m not joking. Your reward for accompanying your geeky friend is to watch a comedian do battle with a mechanical marvel. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the show: smart, silly, and wonderfully entertaining.

The Maths Bit

It must be said that a show featuring live Python code on a big screen could be a recipe for a very dry hour. Yet, in Parker’s hands, it’s utterly compelling. He uses the screen heavily, walking us through board game tiles and lines of code, and it’s a testament to his skill as a performer that every second is fascinating.

The venue, the Pleasance Beyond, is a superb choice for this tech-heavy performance. It’s comfortable, well air-conditioned, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house, meaning everyone has a crystal-clear view of the crucial on-screen action.

Parker himself cheerfully admits that, despite the title, there isn’t all that much trigonometry in Getting Triggy with It. This self-aware gag is typical of his style. He’s more interested in the hilarious adventures that happen when you try to apply maths to the real world, from crowdsourced problem-solving to programming board games for an audience of millions.

Overall

If you’re interested in technology, comedy, or the algorithms that are quietly shaping our society, then you will laugh and learn in equal measure. This is an early contender for my favourite show of the festival so far. It’s a wonderfully constructed hour of nerdy comedy that manages to be both incredibly smart and universally funny. Race to get a ticket.