About

Robert Miles is a comedian with a rare and exceptional talent for playing the electric guitar. With his furry friend, Cyril the Squirrel, by his side, Robert brings together comedy, ventriloquism, rock and pop music in a truly unique act.

Robert believes he is without a shadow of a doubt the best ventriloquist electric rock guitarist in the world!

Robert and Cyril the Squirrel are here to rock you!

Cyril the flying electrifying Guitar playing Grey Squirrel, Dare Devil, stunts, whilst playing the electrical guitar breathtaking, energetic Peregrine falcon like – with a diving speed at 200Mph has greased Lightnin fast Through The Air with the greatest ease. 

Robert Miles and Cyril the Squirrel offer an unusual entertainment act combining ventriloquism, comedy, puppetry and live electric guitar. Playing electric guitar alongside a puppet gives the act a distinctive character that can work particularly well at alternative music festivals, family entertainment events, comedy venues, street-performance festivals and novelty or variety shows.

Robert’s interest in puppetry began when he was just five years old, when he picked up his first ventriloquist puppet: an Emu with a brown and tan body, blue neck and head, and a bright orange beak.

That childhood interest developed into a lifelong passion. Robert now owns a collection of 44 individual puppets, but there is one clear favourite: Cyril the Squirrel. Grey, mischievous and packed with personality, Cyril has become Robert’s main performing partner and a furry friend.

Robert has developed his comedy skills through training and live performance. He attended comedy school in Bristol, successfully completing the course and receiving a certificate, and has also undertaken an MC course in Bristol.

His experience has taken him onto the UK comedy circuit, including appearances and performances around Bristol, Southampton, Bath, Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth, Taunton and Coventry.

Robert continues to develop his act through improvisational comedy, joke writing and regular practice, typically dedicating around two hours each day to comedy, writing and electric guitar.

Robert and Cyril have also crossed paths with some well-known names from the comedy and entertainment world.

One particularly memorable experience involved spending approximately five minutes on stage with Nina Conti, where Cyril met Nina and her famous puppet Monkey.

Robert has also met musician and performance artist Paul Zerdin on two occasions for brief conversations and has met comedian Gary Delaney, sharing a few jokes with him off stage.

These encounters have helped inspire Robert as he continues developing his own distinctive combination of comedy, puppetry and music.

Cyril isn’t only interested in rock music and walnuts. He also has a rather unusual party trick.

Cyril the Squirrel can say all 26 letters of the alphabet in under five seconds — all five vowels and 21 consonants.

It’s exactly the sort of slightly ridiculous talent that suits Cyril perfectly.

Music has always been an important part of Robert’s family.

Robert takes private electric guitar lessons in Somerset and comes from a family with a strong musical and entertainment background. His father played acoustic guitar in pubs and hotels for many years, while his brother was also a talented acoustic guitar player. His grandfather played in a band.

Robert’s mum’s mother played organ and piano in dance halls, while his grandparents also had experience in entertainment, including work as a Master of Ceremonies in the Cardiff area during the late 1940s.

That family history of music and entertainment now continues through Robert — although adding a rock-and-roll squirrel to the family tradition is something of a new development.

Cyril has developed his own musical tastes. His favourites include rock music and traditional pop, although anything with a strong guitar is likely to get his attention.

Robert’s musical tastes include rock & roll, pop, traditional rock, punk rock and indie rock.

Electric guitar has consequently become an important part of the Robert and Cyril act, bringing together Robert’s interests in music, comedy and puppetry.

Robert’s ideal meal is a well-done ribeye steak with skinny fries, although he is equally happy with sea bass and salad.

Cyril’s tastes are considerably more adventurous. Naturally, walnuts are his number-one choice, but he is also partial to prawns, chicken and meat-feast pizza loaded with pepperoni, cheese, pineapple and olives.

And when it comes to drinks, Robert and Cyril finally agree completely.

Their favourite is a strawberry milkshake with three scoops of vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream.

At the heart of the act is a simple idea: do something audiences aren’t expecting.

Robert combines ventriloquism, improvisation, joke writing, puppetry and electric guitar, while Cyril provides the attitude, comedy and occasional chaos.

The result is an unconventional variety act built around the relationship between a performer and his favourite puppet — a rock-loving squirrel who would very much like everyone to know that he considers himself a star.

Meet Cyril the Squirrel: puppet, comedian, rock fan, walnut enthusiast and Robert Miles’ unmistakable partner in chaos.