BCG Daily Friday 22nd August 2014

When Jim Davidson met Andrew Doyle

Suddenly, the prospect of Jim Davidson appearing in a play about coming out as gay has become a reality.

My 'mental' Fringe

I now realise I've struggled with my mental health pretty much all of my life but because it's all I can remember it became easy to not notice.

June Whitfield interview

Critics have called her programmes 'suburban' and 'middle class'. As she joins the cast of new BBC sitcom Boomers, actress June Whitfield asks, what's wrong with that?

Preview: Danny Mcloughlin

It might be the fact he's more of a man, like a proper man. The fact that his hands, arms, legs and neck are bigger.

Explain yourself: Mark Watson

Born in Bristol to Welsh parents, Mark Watson has established himself as as one of the most talented and versatile comedians in the country.

Sara Pascoe: "I hated comedy."

Sara Pascoe believed comedy was a boy's club until she split up with a comedian partner and took it up in revenge. Now she's tipped to win a top award in Edinburgh.

Fringe Q&As: Hardeep Singh Kohli

Hardeep Singh Kohli discusses being middle aged, Scottish and being a nation of story tellers with HeraldScotland.

Fringe Q&As: Rachel Parris

Rachel Parris talks to HeraldScotland about singing, her encounter with Phill Jupitus and climbing in Scotland.

Radio Times review

The Boomers muster for an anniversary dinner at a pretentious restaurant, but there's an immediate cloud over proceedings when long-suffering Carol (Paula Wilcox) announces she's bored with Trevor (James Smith), her husband of 40 years.

What follows is half an hour of creaking comedy that's occasionally crude and often quite unpleasant, particularly when Maureen's ageing, wheelchair-using mum (the mighty June Whitfield, rising majestically above the quality of the material) joins the party. Cue limp gags about the bodily functions of the elderly.

Most of the jokes fall to the floor, though there is a ribald, funny quip about a well-known pizza chain.

Fringe Q&As: Jonny Lennard

Jonny Lennard speaks to HeraldScotland about a cappella pirates, chasing pheasants and gaining independence from his parents.

Fringe Q&As: David Kaufman of The Cleek

David Kaufman of The Cleek chats to HeraldScotland about being a Harvard student, drinking Irn Bru and a funny taxi driver called Iain.

Fringe Q&As: Henry Paker

Henry Paker speaks to HeraldScotland about playing volleyball with Lenny Henry, bees and running up Arthur's Seat.

Fringe Q&As: Lizzy Mace

Lizzy Mace discusses getting heckled by her Mum, refusing flyers and being able to laugh at yourself with HeraldScotland.

Zoe Lyons: how not to roast a chicken

The comedian explains why acting out a cold chicken in the oven is making the world a safer place.

Edinburgh's top comedy - and the ones that got away

Leaving the fringe is bittersweet: there's a treasure store of good memories, and regrets for what it wasn't possible to see.

Tom Neenan: The incident at the Half Moon Inn

As we head into this final weekend of Fringe madness, how about we sit back, relax for a few minutes, and share some ghost stories?

Nick Hall: An anti-literacy campaign

After three weeks performing in a former children's library, Nick Hall is launching an anti-literacy campaign.

Pomme Is French For Apple: The art of flirting

Thanks aplenty to Liza Paul and Bahia Watson from Pomme Is French For Apple who've stepped into the breach to offer some tips for the flirty men of the Fringe.

Fringe Q&As: Martin Mor

Martin Mor speaks to HeraldScotland about baked potatoes, juggling babies and having his accent understood by the Scottish.

Fringe Q&As: Rosie Wilby

Rosie Wilby speaks to HeraldScotland about synchronised swimming, leaping dogs and smoggy London.

Fringe Q&As: Red Bastard

Red Bastard speaks to HeraldScotland about an upside down purple cow, avoiding being peed on and not understanding the Scottish.

Fringe Q&As: This Is Your Trial

This Is Your Trial speaks to HeraldScotland about becoming a podium dancer by mistake, getting stuck in a lighting rig and finishing a show up Arthur's Seat.

Fringe Q&As: Andrew Doyle

Andrew Doyle talks to HeraldScotland about the lure of hedonism, recapturing lost youth and performing for Bobby Crush.

Channel 5 returns to comedy with Viacom

Channel 5 in the UK is to begin making comedy programmes again as a result of its takeover by US media giant Viacom, according to the UK broadcaster's programming boss.

Photo gallery: Backstage and personal

From Adam Riches taking a stroll in full armour to Greg Proops drinking in the abattoir and Camilla Cleese doing her hair, Idil Sukan catches Edinburgh festival's top standups off-guard.

Audio: Is comedy a science or an art?

How do comedians come up with funny lines? Is it a science or an art?

A point of view: That joke isn't funny any more

Will Self asks why people laugh at jokes which he doesn't find funny, and whether there's such a thing as the wrong type of humour.

Hennessy & Friends Win best new sketch act

The versatile three hander, composed of Miranda Hennessy, David Seymour and Steve Shapland beat off some stiff competition last night to win the final of Best New Sketch Act 2014 at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh.

A female comedian must be resilient

'I've had bad gigs, awful things written about me. I've been bullied, taunted, and told I'm not funny.' Shazia Mirza and others tell us their stories of surviving the Fringe.

Audio: Is comedy a science or an art?

How do comedians come up with funny lines? Is it a science or an art? "Quite often I work backwards from the punch line", Tim Vine recently told the Today Programme. But other comedians work differently. Paul McCaffrey admitted he picks out what he thinks is funny and then works it into a point at which he thinks the audience will laugh. "The trick is to try and make it look as spontaneous as possible. You want the audience to believe that this is something that you're saying and thinking for the first time there and then," he added. Stand-up comedian, actor and writer Tiff Stevenson hones her act in a similar way, explaining that "I work at how I feel about something and then I find the funny within that."