Stuart Maconie

Old fart's guide: Saying farewell to the Fringe

The final curtain has fallen and the party is officially over. So, what have we learned? Chris Bratt closes out his survival guide for the annual Edinburgh event with some parting advice.

The Old Fart's festival guide: Last chances

Time marches on: with just two days to go, Chris Bratt continutes his oldies' guide to the Fringe as he stumbles upon Baden Powell, Caravaggio and some frankly mystifying comedy.

What Peter Kay's Car Share playlist can tell us

Stuart Maconie has been a friend of the comedian for decades - here he reveals how they bonded over pop music and being altar boys.

Alexei Sayle book review

Despite its "zany" title, Thatcher Stole My Trousers is a provocative and original look back at Sayle's life.

Opinion: never make friends with a comedian

After I posted a story yesterday about Stewart Lee standing in for Stuart Maconie on BBC6 Music's Freak Zone, it was pointed out to me that Lee had previously been critical of Maconie in his 2008 show 41st Best Stand-Up Ever. Lee was putting the boot into talking head pundits-for-hire and mentioned that Maconie, for a fee, can recall any aspect of human experience.

This documentary about George Formby was rather good, but personally, I would have preferred to have seen more of Formby and less of Skinner. Frank Skinner on George Formby appeared to be more to do with Skinner's love of the innuendo-filled singer rather than the actual man himself.

For those not fully aware of Formby's background there was a lot more to him than meets the eye. For starters his own father, George Formby Senior, was a successful music hall act, and as a result Formby Junior had a much more comfortable living than people think. Also, his father sent him to work at a stable because he didn't want Junior working in the music hall himself.

The show also covered his relationship with his wife and manager Beryl, a woman who was hugely jealous of any other woman approaching Formby. Then there are the stories of his performances in South Africa when he was told to play in front of segregated audiences, but he refused and decided to play in front of black audiences. As a result, the Formbys were kicked out of the country and man who organised the black performances was shot.

I'd have liked to have seen more - but since much of the programme was about how Skinner has learnt how to play the ukulele (and about Formby's fan club), there was a distinct lack of depth. I do know of more detailed programmes about Formby's life, though. I'd personally recommend the Radio 2 documentary George Formby - Britain's Original Pop Star presented by Stuart Maconie, which was broadcast earlier this year.

In terms of Skinner's contribution, it did give him the chance to play "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" in a Blackpool rock factory, which itself is a fascinating process, starting with a massive roll of rock and working its way down to smaller sections, something which I didn't know about...

More adventures of the show business legend (and trout tickler) Count Arthur Strong. If you haven't met him before you'll be unaware of his way of looking at the world and tendency to forget significant things. Those who love his idiosyncracies include Radio 2's Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie and critic Miranda Sawyer. Personally, I can't abide the blundering, blustering, malapropic Mancunian Count, creation of Steve Delaney. Nor, I can exclusively reveal, can Jim Naughtie (although what the Count thinks of Jim may be another matter).

Guest interview: Stuart Maconie

Regular Guest Host Alexander Armstrong is hosting tonight's show, so we decided to interview Have I Got News For You first-timer Stuart Maconie instead.

Once the middle classes were obsessed with cars, cats or gardens. These days, it's kids. Car seats? Baby on Board? Is this the nation that produced Stirling Moss?

I expected to hate Outnumbered, but was pleasantly surprised. This family sitcom is deliberately underdone with mundane settings and a loose improvisational style. And the humour is mild and wry rather than savage or out there.

Admittedly, it'd happily watch even Big Brother if Claire Skinner were involved. But Hugh Dennis is nicely lugubrious and the writing (Guy Jenkin and Andy Hamilton's first collaboration since Drop The Dead Donkey) is typically skilled.

Even the fact that one of the child actors is called Tyger Drew-Honey didn't put me off. Not much, anyway.