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The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… David Ephgrave

August 16, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

One half of comedy duo Doggett and Ephgrave (can you guess which?), David Ephgrave is a comedian and musician who has been working on the circuit for over nine years. He is bringing his latest show Mostly David Ephgrave to this year’s Edinburgh Festival as well as blogging his experiences at the Fringe. Publishing a piece of writing every single day, as Ephgrave does with his blog, is surely a fantastic way to encourage creativity and avoid stagnancy.

To find out more about David, I asked him these seven questions…

1) What is your most prominent Edinburgh Festival memory?

The time I got stuck inside a pouffe at the bar at the Pleasance Dome. I was chatting with my double act partner Glyn and a couple of other comics, when the bit of the footstool I was sitting on fell through, meaning I fell through with it. I tried to style it out, which is a physical impossibility.

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Lazy Susan

August 15, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Bobby Goulding

© Bobby Goulding

Lazy Susan are a sketch double act made of Freya Parker and Celeste Dring, who have been making waves in recent times with shows that get bigger and better each year. Their sketches are unpredictable, silly and surreal, no surprise, then, that they were nominated for the Foster’s Best Newcomer Award in 2014. Lazy Susan bring their latest show, Crazy Sexy Fool, to this year’s Edinburgh Festival, and it is one that everyone seems to be talking about.

I spoke to Lazy Susan’s Freya Parker to find out more about the double act…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Mark Thomas

August 14, 2016 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Summarised as “part theatre, part stand up, part journalism, part activism”, Mark Thomas’ latest show The Red Shed is the final instalment of a trilogy of critically acclaimed shows (Bravo Figaro, followed by Cuckooed), which sees him return to a labour club in Wakefield, a place Thomas credits for aiding him in developing his political conscience, as well as his public speaking skills. The satirical television show The Mark Thomas Product ran for six series, and is a prime example of the comic’s passion for influential socialist comedy that encourages action, thus showing the importance of comedy for social development.

To learn more about the man behind the satire, I asked Mark these seven questions…

1) Is it easier or harder to produce political comedy when the political landscape becomes so volatile?

If we were a half decent nation of comedy lovers we would erect a monument to all the topical gags that were cut down in their prime in the great post Brexit war.

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Adam Rowe

August 13, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Duncan Elliot

Adam Rowe is a stand up who has already reached the final of English Comedian of the Year 2016, despite still being in his early twenties. Rowe is bringing his debut hour, Bittersweet Little Lies to this year’s Edinburgh Festival; a show that considers the implications of the lies we tell our loved ones from childhood to adulthood. As well as this, Adam will be compering Gag Reflex Presents and taking part in the AAA Stand Up each day.

I asked Adam these seven questions to find out more…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Njambi McGrath

August 13, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

NJAMBI MCGRATH 1

© Dave McGrath

Njambi McGrath is an incredibly powerful stand up performer because her comedy comes from a deeply personal place and she is able to turn it into something creatively stimulating and, of course, funny. Having grown up in Kenya, Njambi presents an insight into a completely different and unknown culture for many a Britain-born audience member, and this, for me, is what makes stand up comedy refreshing and exciting. McGrath brings her latest show 1 Last Dance with My Father to this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

To find out more about Njambi, I asked her these seven questions…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Hayley Ellis

August 12, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Hayley Ellis

© Andy Hollingworth

Mancunian comic Hayley Ellis presents a very relatable style of stand up comedy, with sharp twists and turns that give her material that extra punch. She is likeable and self-deprecating, working to ensure that she is on the same level as her audience, which in turn makes audiences far more receptive. Hayley returns to the festival this year with her latest show, FOMO, (That’s ‘Fear Of Missing Out’ to you and I).

I asked Hayley these seven questions to find out more…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Dave Chawner

August 11, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© CR2 Studios

Dave Chawner is an immediately likeable stand up performer, perhaps due to the unrelenting honesty he presents to audiences at his shows, disarming himself entirely and in turn making himself vulnerable on stage. This openness allows Chawner to explore seemingly taboo topics that happen to be close to his heart, such as the issue of anorexia in men, and his latest Edinburgh show, which explores issues associated with circumcision, sex and relationships.

To learn more about the man behind the comedy, I asked Dave these seven questions…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Chris Gethard

August 10, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Zac Wolf

There is a lot of excitement on the British comedy scene this year regarding Chris Gethard, not least because he is due to be making his Edinburgh Festival debut. He is already a big name in the US, having hosted The Chris Gethard Show since 2011, as well as starring in Parks and Recreation and America’s The Office. Chris brings his show Career Suicide to the Fringe, where he proves there can be a funnier side to difficult topics such as alcoholism and depression.

To learn more about the man behind the show, I asked Chris these seven questions…

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Twins

August 10, 2016 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

Twins are Jack Barry and Annie McGrath, a sketch duo known for their silly and childish style of comedy that epitomises the idea of escapism within entertainment. These two make a marvellous pair, with their contrasting personalities producing an interesting comedic energy within performance, and with elements of surrealism and absurdity giving their material a refreshing twist. Barry and McGrath bring their latest show Two Balls In A Bag to this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

To find out more, I asked Twins these seven questions…

1) What annoys you most about your sketch partner?

AM: He’s lazy, he’s hungover, he’s late, he forgets everything, he can’t read, he can’t write.

JB: Nothing. I like Annie.

The Edinburgh Interviews: Seven Questions With… Andy Askins

August 9, 2016 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

© Andy Hollingworth

© Andy Hollingworth

Andy Askins is a stand up comedian with material that is surprisingly dark, standing in stark contrast against his calm and friendly stage demeanour. Askins is also a very talented musician who doesn’t rely on his guitar as a gimmick; his comedy songs are delightfully punchy and unpredictable. Askins brings his latest show, The Man With No Name, to this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

I asked Andy these seven questions to find out more…