Lewis Cook & Alex Davies: 10 Edinburgh Fringe questions

Lewis Cook & Alex Davies answer 10 questions about their 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show.

Give us a quick overview of your comedy career so far. Are you happy with where you're at?

We've been performing comedy on and off since 2009. We began as a four-man sketch troupe called The Plastic Seat Company, taking two shows to the Fringe in successive years. Around 2011 the four of us went our separate ways and as we (Alex and Lewis) had become emotionally dependent on each other we had no choice but to form a double act. It was either that or adopt a child!

This is our second Edinburgh show as Cook and Davies and it's easily the best thing we've done. We've been in the finals of many competitions (Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Award, So You Think You Write Funny, Leicester Square Theatre Sketch-Off), but are yet to come away with the gold. We're like the bridesmaid of the comedy industry - we sleep with the best man!

Tell us two truths and one lie about yourself.

1. The original title for our first show was "Where's The Willy?" We later dismissed this idea as being juvenile and toured the show under the name "Orgasmic Thrust".

2. We appeared on a Saturday morning BBC Two TV show with Dick and Dom. We were told not to worry if the audience of children didn't laugh. That advice soon came in handy.

3. We have a pet dog, a Collie, named 'Cavies'. He travels to most gigs but is currently being looked after by a retired dentist named Bernie.

Describe your new show in exactly 23 words.

We are trapped in a room with the instruction not to leave. We fantasise, banter and bicker to keep off insanity. We fail.

Any cunning plans to get more punters in?

Our plan involves more of what not to do:
• Do not shout "You cannot kill my spirit!!" and launch a wad of flyers at a passer-by
• Stop rolling from side to side in the foetal position every time someone says they can't see your show
• Do not do 'The Richardson'

What's your plan for trying to eat - and drink - healthily during the Fringe?

We're going to try the 'B' diet - we'll only eat things beginning with the letter 'B', such as beef, beer, batter, bread, borg and big plate of chips.

We are pretty confident we'll be able to achieve this. It comes recommended by Fred Elliott.

What will you miss most while you're away from home?

Alex will miss his favourite hobby - watching people trying to parallel park outside his flat. Lewis will not miss the live commentary of people trying to parallel park, but will miss conducting his badger experiments.

Aside from performing, what else are you looking forward to doing in Scotland's fine capital?

We're going to look at the Museum of Childhood as we're both still pretty much in that frame of mind. There's also a bar that sells beers from all over the world so we'll be looking to drink from the most obscure countries. Lewis also wants to catch some badgers.

If you took over programming a Fringe venue, what would your perfect line-up of comedians be?

If we were to programme a Fringe venue we would immediately let the power go to our heads and instruct our acts to perform shows we devise.

We'd have Charlie Webster perform a one man show portraying Shakespearean heroines. We'd have James Dunn performing Ernie Wise's half of all the Morecambe and Wise sketches alone. And, as a finale, we'd have Pappy's recreate the hit movie Three Men and a Baby with no rehearsal and Brian Blessed as the baby.

Name the one person you'd rather not bump into during the festival.

Dave Lamb - the narrator of Come Dine With Me. He's created a whole trend of narrators who just whine and moan about somebody's honest attempts to do nice things for strangers. If we were to meet him, we'd be compelled to follow him around commenting on everything he does in a high pitched, whiny voice.

Why should audiences pick your show over the 1,800+ other Fringe offerings listed on BCG this year?

Because 1,799 shows do not have a cardboard box love interest, Alex trying to plant himself and a room too small to host it all. Some would say those shows are better for not having that but you don't want to listen to them, do you?! They're idiots!

'Cook and Davies: Do Not Leave This Room' is at Just The Tonic at the Caves at 10:40pm on 4-14, 16-28 Aug. Listing