BCG Daily Saturday 29th July 2023

Edinburgh Fringe Rarely Asked Questions - Gabby Killick

Character comedian Gabby Killick returns to the Gilded Balloon with a new show Conversations With My Agent.

Jenny Eclair: 'I did find moments of comedy at my mother's deathbed'

Soon to arrive in Dublin with a new show about turning 60, the comic talks about grief, losing her haters and why she feels sorry for Madonna.

The Power Of Parker review

You'll find yourself drawn in by the story, wanting to know just how the house of cards Martin has built around himself will come tumbling down.

Who killed comedy?

"The axing of The Mash Report on the BBC was woke comedy's Year Zero," writes Julie Burchill.

Tough times have created nostalgia for 1980s and 1990s Britain, says Paul Coleman

Creator of new BBC show The Power Of Parker says young audiences are drawn to the idea of 'a simpler time'.

Griff Rhys Jones pays tribute to Mel Smith on the 10th anniversary of his death

I was genuinely startled last week when an old friend rang me out of the blue to say it was now ten years since Mel Smith died. I don't mean I was surprised he got in touch. He didn't want me to go and lay a wreath or anything. I just couldn't believe that it was ten whole years since July 2013, on a day just like this, a bit overcast with wood pigeons practising their school recorder scales outside, when I noticed my wife Jo had dropped her voice in the room next door and was saying things like, "oh, I'm so sorry to hear that..." and "if there is anything we can do...".

Good Omens Series 2 Easter Egg guide

Did you spot these references to Agnes Nutter, Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, Doctor Who and much more in Good Omens Series 2?

15 shows (+ a bonus) our very own Natalie thinks you should see at this year's Fringe

I thought I'd pop together some recommendations which span the genres based on my likes but also shows I know are going to be great.

Edinburgh 2023: Annabel Marlow Q&A

BWW catches up with Annabel Marlow to chat about bringing "...is this okay??" to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Edinburgh 2023: Bonnie He Guest Blog

Bonnie He, creator and performer of A Terrible Show for Terrible people on a non-verbal comedy performance about female sexuality & desire with a connection that speaks to everyone in the audience.

EdFringe Talk: How to Write a Eulogy That Kills

"I love, love, love the fringe for the non-stop performances, all the creativity literally everywhere you go, the new people to meet, the feverish excitement, and of course all the walking I'm forced to do and how shapely my calves will become."

EdFringe Talk: A Terrible Show for Terrible People

"I can't wait for Fringe to start; it's going to be an inspiring hub of not just creatives, but DRIVEN creatives who all had the gumption to take their show here."

EdFringe Talk: A Preoccupation with Romantic Love

"We kept running out of avocados and I'd have to run to Lidl in the pouring rain, fill up three tote bags, and head back."

The Crown Jewels review

Al Murray saves the king, but not quite the show in royal heist comedy.

Fringe in 5 - Louise Atkinson

Amy chats to Louise Atkinson who is heading to the Fringe with her show Mates.

Salma Hindy & Danielle Deluty find liberation in comedy

Why we HAVE to mock religion.

#SNAPCHATZ Episode 53: The three D's of #EdFringe 2023-deceit, disillusionment and diversity

Welcome to this #SNAPCHATZ episode, featuring the three D's of #EdFringe 2023: get ready for Sachin Kumarendran's tales of Deceit, Dubai comedy Royalty - Ali Al Sayed and Mina Liccione, and Stroud & Notes' musical exploration of Diversity. Dive in and discover your new favourite show!

British comedy is no laughing matter, at least in this writer's hands

David Stubbs has created a readable social history, even if his diatribes and humourlessness jar with his subject.

The Crown Jewels review

A right royal farce - and not in a fun way.

Beer Mat Flipping Record Attempt Coming Soon

Stuart Laws (gilet-wearing comedian and beer mat flipping enthusiast) will attempt to break the current world record for most beer mats flipped and caught in 60 seconds. The record stands at 74... until next Friday.

Schalk Bezuidenhout on the best and worst of the Edinburgh Fringe

Flyering will bring you to a place of humbleness you didn't even know existed.

Lindsey Santoro shares her comedy favourites

"Imagine if your job was just to slap Noel Edmonds!"

Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Almost Adult

Charlotte Anne-Tilley tells Fest about her coming-of-age comedy, Almost Adult, which is inspired by her own experiences.

Fringe in 5 - Brendan Barclay

Amy chats to Brendan Barclay who is performing in The Importance of Being... Earnest at Edinburgh Fringe.

Fringe in 5 - Nathan D'Arcy Roberts

Amy chats to Nathan D'Arcy Roberts as he prepares to take his show Present/Tense to the Fringe.

#SNAPCHATZ Episode 54: Unorthodox voices at #EdFringe 2023

This episode of #SNAPCHATZ uncovers unorthodox voices at #EdFringe 2023. Traverse the cullinary landscape of Chris Fung's The Society for New Cuisine, cheer for the queer in November Theatre's football-themed Pitch, and be captivated by Lucas O'Neil's deeply personal Emotional Man. Get ready for an illuminating exploration.

Interview with Matthew Greenhough, Creative Director of Wound Up Theatre

"People are being priced out, which is disgusting, and it's increasingly exclusively a platform for posho's launching their careers. But at its heart it still aspires to give little greebo no-hopers like me a chance. That's special."

Interview with Natasha Sutton-Williams, award-winning queer, disabled writer and actor

Natasha's new show, Clown Sex, will be at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August.

Interview with comedy writer & performer Brendan Murphy

"Before you commit to making a show to the fringe, it's important to ask yourself *why* you're doing it. What do you want to achieve? What is it that you're hoping to buy up there?"

Interview with alternative comedian (and maths teacher) Cerys Bradley

"When I'm trying to write or paint or otherwise make physical things, I can get a block because of their permanence. But when you're performing live, when it's over it's over and all we have left are memories which are malleable and imperfect."

Interview with Zach Zucker, host and creator of Stamptown Comedy Night

"All I could think about as I was laying facedown was how nice those $400 Australian Dollars would feel landing in my bank account."

Interview with the surreal, sketch, circus troupe Laser Kiwi

"We accidentally performed in a strip club in Canada... We thought it was going to be a variety show. I think we got paid $8 profit share and were slow clapped onstage by a father and son duo who were definitely not our target market."

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023 sees the funny side of trauma

Comedy shows centred on abortion and assault prove laughter can be the best therapy.

Edinburgh 2023: Fielding Edlow Guest Blog

Finding the humour in the negative aspects of a relationship.

Edinburgh 2023: Please Love Me Guest Blog

Clementine Bogg-Hargroves and Zoe Barnes - creators of Please Love Me, on how they balance writing and devising theatre that incorporates personal experience with fictionalised narratives.

Frank Skinner: 'I did 42 gigs and only made £180'

The comic discusses his return to the Edinburgh Fringe, decompressing on stage and writing poetry in Alphabetti spaghetti.

The shows that might raise heckles during the Edinburgh Festivals

Every Edinburgh festival season has at least one cause célèbre. Which is exactly as it should be.

Meet the REAL Derry Girls - the childhood friends who inspired Lisa McGee's hit sitcom

Based in the Tower Museum, the Derry Girls exhibition has just opened and is fast becoming yet another tourist attraction in the city enjoying a boost because of the Channel 4 show's international success. But on opening night, among the various artefacts like Erin's diary and Aunt Sarah's pyjamas, were some women who knew these characters better than all of us.

'Preoccupied by survival': funding crisis threatens future of Edinburgh Festival

The Edinburgh Festival returns next week, the first in three years not to be overshadowed by Covid-19.

This year's optimism, however, is overshadowed by rising living costs and funding shortages, which the organisers say threaten the future of the event.

Nicola Sturgeon's foul-mouthed abuse of the English proved to be a hit... in England

Matt Forde has revealed how former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is still a major star on stage - thanks to her Spitting Image puppet berating audiences with foul-mouth tirades.