Divine comedy: fringe standups turn to religion for inspiration

When Sam Williams first used the word "Christianity" in his standup routine at comedy clubs, he said audiences would freeze. He felt "the weight of that word".

- Rachael Healy

But when he takes his new show to the Edinburgh fringe this summer, he will be one of a growing number of comedians mining religion for laughs - and he thinks the audience is ready.

"This is the beginning of a major movement," he said. "I genuinely feel the kind of show I'm making will be a cliché in four years' time."

Williams's one-hour show, Touch Me Not, is about Christianity, his discovery of his faith in his mid-20s and how it "facilitated my acceptance and loving of my own queerness".