September 02, 2026 - 242 views
A North Wales comedian who stops breathing up to 17 times an hour while asleep is turning his experience of sleep apnoea into comedy – complete with a Darth Vader-style mask.
Gethin Evans, a 46-year-old NHS worker, comedian and drummer from Caernarfon, will take to the stage at the New Inn in St Asaph on Friday, September 18, as part of a free comedy night at the North Wales International Music Festival.
Gethin, who also plays drums with popular Welsh brass band Band Pres Llareggub, was diagnosed with sleep apnoea, a condition in which the muscles in the throat relax during sleep and temporarily block the airway.
He said hospital tests showed he stopped breathing 17 times in an hour. He now uses a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which delivers air through a mask to help keep his airway open while he sleeps.
“I stop breathing when I sleep at night. I have an app that tells me how many times I've stopped breathing at night,” he said.
“What I do now is I have some mask that pumps air into my mouth and it stops me snoring and it stops me not breathing.
“So I have a mask on my face and that connects me to a machine. That took a while to get used to but I don’t think I could sleep without it now.”
Sleep apnoea can cause loud snoring, repeated interruptions to breathing and excessive daytime tiredness. If untreated, it can also increase the risk of health problems including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
For Gethin, however, the condition has also provided material for his comedy routines.
He began performing stand-up during the Covid-19 pandemic and has continued developing his material. He also works for the NHS on a project digitising patient information within mental health services.
He will be joined at the St Asaph comedy night by fellow stand-ups Caryl Burke and Arwel Phillips.
Caryl, originally from Porthmadog, is an assistant producer with Cwmni Da in Caernarfon and has been performing stand-up for around four years. She has recently returned to the stage after maternity leave following the birth of her daughter Anni last year.
Known for her observational comedy, she has performed across Wales, north-west England and London.
She said performing comedy in Welsh and English brought its own challenges.
“I write in Welsh and have to adapt it in English because it doesn't always translate properly,” she said.
“The routine at the New Inn will be new and in English and I'm looking forward to it.”
Arwel Phillips, originally from Mold and now living in Ruthin, began stand-up around two years ago. He has since attended comedy classes run by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Katie Gill in Llangefni.
His routine focuses on the everyday and mundane things in life.
Arwel is also deputy director of the Urdd's outdoor centre at Glan-llyn near Bala.
The comedy night is part of the free fringe programme accompanying the North Wales International Music Festival, which runs from September 10 to 19.
Festival artistic director Paul Mealor said the fringe programme had become an important way of attracting people who might not normally attend the festival's concerts.
“It’s a crucial part of the festival because it attracts a different audience and it’s bringing people to the festival who might not otherwise come,” he said.
“Most fringe events are happening later than the concert programme, after 9pm which will suit a different audience.”
The fringe programme includes the new opera The Lost Boy at St Asaph Parish Church on September 11, exploring themes including mental health, grief, the AIDS crisis, environmental change and LGBT identity.
There will also be live music, an open mic night, Welsh and Arabic folk fusion, a historical documentary screening and a poetry event featuring award-winning Welsh poet and playwright Professor Menna Elfyn.
The festival's programme has been supported by the Arts Council of Wales and Colwinston Charitable Trust, with additional backing from Pendine Park through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, Scops Arts Trust, Tŷ Cerdd, St Asaph City Council and Salisburys Chartered Accountants.
All fringe events are free and no booking is required. The wider festival concert programme runs alongside them at venues across St Asaph and the surrounding area.
Further information and tickets for the main concert programme are available from the North Wales International Music Festival website.
