Stand-up comedy Having started stand-up whilst in his final year of Law at the
University of Edinburgh, a year which saw him make the final of both the Paramount Funniest Student and
Chortle Student Comedian of the Year competitions, Stirling is a regular on the UK comedy circuit. Having been dubbed one of Scotland's 'Hottest Newcomers' by
The Scotsman after his performance in front of 750 people at the Glasgow Fruitmarket, he now gigs all over the UK including
The Stand (Edinburgh and
Glasgow),
The Comedy Store (
Manchester and London), Off the Kerb and various smaller clubs. In August 2009, Stirling performed in the final of the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year at the
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, finishing runner-up to winner
Joe Lycett. Stirling's first stand-up special,
Failing Upwards, was released on
Amazon Prime Video on 26 May 2022. He has also worked as a writer on a number of projects for the likes of CBBC and
BBC Scotland, such as
12 Again and ''
Help! My Supply Teacher's Magic. In early October 2013, Stirling began recording for a new series for CBBC, The Dog Ate My Homework, which was commissioned as the CBBC answer to Mock the Week''. He was nominated for a
BAFTA in 2014 for best children's presenter for his hosting of the programme for two series.
Love Island In June 2015, Stirling became the narrator of the
ITV2 reality series
Love Island, and as of 2025 has contributed to every series of the show since its premiere, through
Caroline Flack,
Laura Whitmore and
Maya Jama's tenures as presenter. His distinctive enunciated Scottish accent, comedic sarcasm within his writing and "mischievous presence" has garnered significant praise. In 2022, for its
fourth season, Stirling became the narrator of the
American adaptation of the show, following its move to
Peacock. He took over duties from
Matthew Hoffman.
Other In 2012, Stirling appeared on ''
Russell Howard's Good News. In 2017, he began hosting the comedy game show CelebAbility. In February 2019, it was announced that Stirling would be a contestant on the eighth series of Taskmaster, finishing as the runner-up. He was also the host of the first programme on the BBC Scotland channel, A Night at the Theatre''.
Buffering, a sitcom Stirling co-created with Steve Bugeja, aired on ITV2 in summer 2021, and ran for two series until 2023. In 2022, Stirling and Laura Whitmore, his wife, began presenting the
Spotify-exclusive podcast
Partners In Crime, covering
true crime stories and unsolved mysteries. In November 2023, the podcast moved to
BBC Sounds under the name
Murder They Wrote. In April–May 2019, over six episodes, Stirling featured as one of the six comedians on the TV show
Comedy Bus, in which each comedian took the others back to their home towns; Stirling took the group back to his native Edinburgh. On 19 November 2020, Stirling featured as a panellist on the
ITV daytime show,
Loose Women, and made history as being part of the show's first all-male panel in the show's 21-year history. Since June 2020, Stirling has appeared on
Celebrity Gogglebox, alongside Whitmore. In December 2025, Stirling won
Celebrity MasterChef: Christmas Cook-Off; after beating
GK Barry,
Kola Bokinni, and
Nikki Fox in the Christmas special.
Internet Stirling operates his own channel on
Twitch, in which he interacts with viewers whilst playing video games such as
FIFA. As of October 2021, his channel has grown to over 65,000 followers. In February 2023, Stirling appeared in a video by the
Sidemen called "The Roast of the Sidemen 2". Stirling appeared in another video by them in January 2024, called "Sidemen $100,000 Ultimate Hide & Seek", later titled "Sidemen vs 40 YouTubers Ultimate Hide & Seek in a Stadium". == Personal life ==