Phil Burgers

Courtney Pauroso: interview

The American comedian makes her much-anticipated Fringe debut at this character clown and burlesque show.

What happens when a man performs a woman's drag show?

Natalie Palamides' bravura piece about machismo, Nate, is now being performed by its male director, Dr Brown.

Why I avoid the Edinburgh International Festival

Stick to the Edinburgh Fringe, which continues to get bigger - if not exactly better - at 70.

TV review: Rotters

Rotters, about a hapless bunch of thieves attempting an antiques heist, couldn't bring the same inventiveness to the silent comedy genre as Sam Simmons, John Kearns and Phil Burgers (aka Doctor Brown) bring to the live field.

Doctor Brown: 'Comedy? It's a big word, dude.'

Doctor Brown, the alter ego of American comic Phil Burgers, on playing the idiot with Sam Simmons, watching his audiences walk out and how he never set out to be a comedian.

Phil Burgers' workshops are a hit with fellow comedians

His award-winning show Befrdfgth grew organically out of these lessons, specifically an exercise where "you have nothing", the Californian explains. "I just thought, 'Well, if I'm making these people do it, I should probably see if it works for me.'"

Doctor Brown interview - Silence is golden

Phil Burgers speaks to Emma McAlpine about his clown character creation, Doctor Brown.

Channel 4 has launched 4Funnies, a series of pilots by up-and-coming talents from the live circuit, in the post-pub Friday-night slot. First up was Dr Brown, the alter-ego of the classically trained American clown Phil Burgers who won the Edinburgh Comedy Award this year with a mime show. It turns out that he is just as funny when he allows himself to speak.

This was less a conventional set-up/punchline sketch show, though, than a ramble through a lightly disturbed mind. Toe-curling sketches about a creepy couple were intercut with odd little scenes featuring a babbling mystic in a gaping kimono and fez. There were Trigger Happy-style skits - I loved his weeping jogger - and silent sepia films set to mournful klezmer music. There was a fairly free attitude to full-frontal nudity. When you write it down, it sounds bonkers. And it was, but it was also hypnotic, rather beautiful and one of the most refreshingly odd half hours of pure comedy I've seen in some time.

Dr. Brown is the professionally trained silent clown persona of the American comic Phil Burgers, and the winner of this year's Edinburgh Comedy Award. This week he was the first star of Channel 4's replacement to the Comedy Showcase - the 4Funnies. However, it doesn't seem that the talents that won him that most sort-after of stand-up prizes have made it onto the screen.

Dr. Brown featured various sketch ideas and characters, many of which repeated throughout the show. For me, it's always a problem for any sketch show, because if you don't like the sketch the first time then the chances are you won't like it on repeat viewing.

And sadly, that was the case here too. The only recurring sketch that did make me laugh eventually was that of a jogger going seemingly mad, pouring tonnes of protein and energy powders into his mouth. The funniest sketch was a simple one off, where a character puts sheets of toilet paper on a loo set before using it, before eventually decide to lift up said use it and sit in just the bowl.

I think the problem here is that Dr. Brown is a silent act. These sorts of sketches aren't exactly what I was expecting from him, and I thought the humour would be more visual that it actually was. It may be the case that sketch comedy isn't the right format for this performer and a stand-up TV show would be a better outlet...