Jayne Edwards (aka Top Bodybuilder Brian)
Published: Tuesday 20th August 2019
One random comedian, eight random questions; it's the ultimate test of funny person and fate. This week that funny person is Jayne Edwards, who - as the picture accompanying this piece might suggest - is a character comic.
That character? Top Bodybuilder Brian, who's currently flashing the guns every day at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the Dragonfly bar, just up Grassmarket where the grand castle looms. So how long has this hench man been working out?
"I've been performing Brian for a good few years now, but this is my first show," says Edwards. "He's a bodybuilder who lives in Rhyl in his caravan and loves whey protein. He has nearly cracked the recipe to Lucozade. This show goes back through his life to find out where it all went so right. It's weird, multidisciplinary and very silly!"
Comedy, bodybuilding: it's all about discipline. Jayne Edwards, your Random 8 await.
Who is - or was - your most interesting relative?
My dad. He is a very quiet man. Then every now and again we find out he's done something like save a dog from drowning on Rhyl beach, or chased and wrestled two men out of his taxi through a caravan park because they owe him £2.50. If I had done these things I would never shut up about them. You'd never hear the end of it.
Do you have a favourite shop?
Waterstones. These guys really know their stuff. Highly recommend you check them out.
What's the weirdest thing in your wardrobe?
My husband makes very strange costumes and masks, so we have a lot of terrifying and upsetting looking things in there.
Ever walked out of a film?
I walked out of Iris. I love these fashiony films visually. I can make clothes so I like to use them to get ideas, but at some point the excess of everything made me feel queasy and isolated. It was like eating too many sweets (I had also eaten too many sweets).
Your greatest sporting moment?
The time I won an entire Brownie swimming gala single-handed. I competed in every race and won them all. Within five minutes of meeting my mum she will mention this. I definitely peaked aged 11.
What's your favourite mode of transport?
I love the bus. I love the passive aggressiveness of it. I hold a special disdain for pampered people who drive to work when they live near a bus. I find some people babyish about transport like that. I love the cheap, utilitarian feel of a bus.
When were you most embarrassed?
Anyone who has ever pissed themselves in front of an entire classroom in the first year of HIGH SCHOOL knows about true embarrassment. Accept no substitutes.
Which low-key law would you introduce?
No bags on empty bus seats. Get your bag off. What are you doing?
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