Toussaint Douglass crosses the sea with Accessible Pigeon Material for the first time ever

“A lot of pigeons in London are pedestrians; they walk more than they fly,” jokes stand-up comic Toussaint Douglass. “Those are regular pigeons; you also have the fancy London ones — they stay up in the trees.” He is talking about his show Accessible Pigeon Material that is coming to India in March.

Toussaint is unapologetic about his admiration for this bird, which is often not kindly looked upon by city-dwellers, both in India and the United Kingdom. “If a pigeon makes a deposit on your shoulder, that is probably karma for having teased it when you were younger. So be nice to pigeons — they remember faces”.

That is not a line from his act. Toussaint is right: pigeons do recognise faces. And, passionate as he is about them, the comic has garnered nuggets of information about these birds which end up in his sets. For instance, those high class pigeons he was talking about? “Pigeons originally flew in from coastal areas, and are used to roosting in cliffs. In cities, they settle down on building ledges or under railway arches. At least, the ordinary ones do. The fancy ones live in trees; they have literally made it off the streets.”

Feathered fellows

Toussaint says a lot of people wonder about his subject and he agrees they are a curious choice. “But I just really like them. It is as simple as that.”

He .continues, “I grew up in Lewisham in South East London, which is an urban environment, and pigeons were a gateway to nature and wildlife for me. They are as much a feature of life there as London’s red buses.”

For the most part though, pigeons are an overlooked lot, feels Toussaint, “But, when you take the time to watch them, they are quite funny and exhibit humorous characteristics. My show is a celebration of the pigeon. I wanted to celebrate this ordinary, but extraordinary bird in my own way.”

 Toussaint Douglass
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Special Arrangement

India is the first venue outside the United Kingdom to host Accessible Pigeon Material and Toussaint will be bringing the show to Mumbai, Gurugram and Bengaluru from March 19. The show first debuted at Edinburgh Fringe 2025 as part of Soho Theatre’s festival programme and following its India tour, will wind up after a final run at Soho Theatre on March 28.

Family fun

Toussaint says he “fell into comedy” around 2018. “I come from a family with a lot of smart, intelligent and strong women. They are larger than life, busy characters and my nan was the head of the family. Sunday dinners meant a lot of laughing, joking and being with funny people,” he says, adding that was his introduction to comedy.

“Apart from my nan and the family, I believe it was Mr Bean who probably got me into comedy. There are just 15 episodes in the series but they feel like much more. I believe that is because they are quite universal in their brand of physical comedy. It is not serious and quite daft.”

Toussaint says it was his passion to do a comedy show and he is quite proud of Accessible Pigeon Material. “I enjoyed doing this show; it is a celebration of being different.”

“If you have ever felt like the odd one out, that you never fit, I believe this show for you. It celebrates people in my life like my nan and my mom, my dad and other family members who were different and proudly so. This one is for the oddballs in life and it will be a fun show.”

Accessible Pigeon Material by Toussaint Douglass is in Mumbai on March 19 and March 21, in Delhi on March 20 and in Bengaluru on March 22. Tickets starting from ₹499 available on BookMyShow and District by Zomato.