The Edinburgh Interviews

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Paul McCaffrey

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© Brian Ritchie

Paul McCaffrey is a recognisable face as one of the jokers on Impractical Jokers, alongside Roisin Conaty, Joel Dommett and Marek Larwood. McCaffrey has supported some of the biggest names in comedy on tour, from Sean Lock to Rob Beckett, and now he brings his latest stand up show Suburban Legend at the Edinburgh Festival. He is performing his free show at the Laughing Horse at the Counting House throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Certain restaurants and the rooftop hydro pool at the Sheraton hotel (I never used to be this much of a ponce, I’m sure I didn’t).

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

It was about a man trying to stretch 20 minutes over an hour with varying degrees of success.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

It’s starting to. I was in a TV show a few years back (Impractical Jokers on BBC3) which some people really liked and I get a good few people that come from that. I’d say it’s fairly broad though, accessible to most people.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

Mice, last year. My regular Edinburgh flat mate, Matt Forde absolutely shat himself and had a sleepless night in the front room because he could hear them in his bedroom. Very funny.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far? 

I’ve been on tour with Sean Lock this year, as a long time fan, that was pretty special.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year? 

I always see Matt Forde, that’s kind of set in stone. I want to see Carl Donnelly on the Blundabus, for my money, one of the best in the business.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year? 

To come back with a new set and to improve as an act is the main reason but I feel like I’m on good form at the moment so it would be good if I got some work from it too.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Whatever is annoying me at that time, other people in the care home probably.

BOOK TICKETS FOR PAUL MCCAFFREY: SUBURBAN LEGEND, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Pierre Novellie

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South African stand up Pierre Novellie claims to provide observational comedy for audiences that think they hate observational comedy. Nominated for the Best Club Comedian award by Chortle in both 2016 and 2017, Novellie is clearly a competent performer with something extra about him. Pierre will be performing at the Pleasance Courtyard throughout August.

© Ivan Vranjić

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

It’s sort of the Olympics of comedy – a month of solid gigs and seeing comedy friends from around the world.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

It was a “best of” show of my first four years of stand up and writing.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

Nerds and other people with weird food issues.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I think sleeping on a tiny sofa in a kitchenette full of mice up seven flights of stairs is up there.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Meeting and eventually working with Adam Buxton!

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Evelyn Mok’s debut show looks great from the bits I’ve seen

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

More fans, more work!

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Olaf Falafel

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Swedish stand up Olaf Falafel is an idiosyncratic performer to say the least. His latest show is packed full of surrealist energy, entitled The Marmosets Of My Mind. Olaf is also an illustrator, having just published his first children’s book, proving him to be a natural creative in other aspects besides performance alone. He will be performing his free show at The City Café throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Convincing people who’ve never heard of me to come and spend an hour observing the marmosets of my mind.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first Edinburgh show ‘Olaf Falafel & The Cheese Of Truth’ was about mystical cheese that could reveal the core truth of whatever it landed on and also loosely documented the journey of becoming a man.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

My comedy is universal like one of those plug adaptors you can buy at the airport

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I slept on a sofa for a fortnight a few years ago and it was one of those L shaped sofas so I had to sleep at a right angle.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

The second year I came to Edinburgh I split an hour with two other comics, we averaged six audience members each show – glorious.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Really looking forward to seeing Michael Stranney’s debut hour ‘Welcome to Ballybeg’ – we shared a show a few years ago so it’ll be great to see what his alter ego Daniel Duffy has been up to.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

Big sacks of cash.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Velcro.

BOOK TICKETS FOR OLAF FALAFEL PRESENTS THE MARMOSETS OF MY MIND, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Prom Kween’s Rebecca Humphries

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Prom Kween is a musical comedy that explores topics such as gender, identity and relationships, written by Rebecca Humphries and Joanna Cichonska. The cast itself is made up of Humphries, Sam Swann, Sean Rigby and Lucy Pearman. Rebecca Humphries will be performing in Prom Kween at the Underbelly, Cowgate throughout August.

© Max Lacome

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

It’s either the atmosphere of boundless enthusiasm and pro-activity or the fudge.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

It was in 2014, and it was about my obsession with Disney. While the passion for the subject still stands, you have to move on artistically I find. Plus I’d used all my good ideas.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

Yeah, fabulous people/no basics.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I’ve been pretty lucky in the past. My worst nightmare would probably be anywhere I’d have to share with more than one other person. So my house of 6 will be a laugh.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

I never in a million years thought I’d win the musical comedy award. In fact after our performance in the final myself and my accompanist Jo were draped backstage spouting some shit like ‘all hope it lost’. So dramatic. We hated competing, it was really stressful. But we loved winning so… you can’t have it both ways.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

I will definitely be seeing Maid of Cabbage by the inimitably insane Lucy Pearman. In her last show she played an egg. She literally played an egg.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

That we put on a great show, that we prove you don’t need a massive budget and fancy things to do so, and that audiences come away from it feeling good about themselves.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I like to think I would have prophesied the end of the world (I presume that’s why it’s my last show).

BOOK TICKETS FOR PROM KWEEN, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Mark Thomas

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Mark Thomas’ most recent show is an exploration of the social and political state of humanity at this point in time. The infamous award-winning satirist examines the unexpected, and often disastrous, events of last year, before laying out well-considered predictions as to where we might now be headed. Thomas will be performing A Show That Gambles on the Future at Summerhall throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Going to see loads of shows and performers. It is the biggest arts fest in the world, what is not to like? I always try and see a minimum of 40 shows every fringe, I know others see more and other see many less, but with a target of 40 it means you get and out and don’t waste time.

Other things I like: actors being actory, spotting Nicholas Parsons in a cravat, arguing performance art at Summerhall, bumping into mates in queues for shows and/or chips, drama students practising by being actory, taking my kids to a performance that is inappropriate- last one was naked mine artist with 14yr old daughter, Fruitmarket gallery, being interviewed in the BBC tent in front of an audience in cogoules, seeing Kirsty Walk filming at the Traverse, the comics wrestling match, and having tourists from Norway asking me if I am Mark Steel.

© Jane Hobson

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first time at the fringe performing was as a stand in for Paul Merton. He broke his leg playing football, ended up in hospital with a blood clot and his promoter asked me to stand in. Lots of anti-Tory stuff and sex. People v disappointed 

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I hope so, otherwise my audience would be comprised of people taking random chances, which after 32 years performing would be a bit shit. According to bar staff and front of house folk, my crowd tend to be ‘nice’.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

One festival my accommodation was  sharing a mattress with a friend on the living room floor in a flat rented by  actors, which meant we would be woken by actors in their underwear stepping over us with mugs of coffee. Once we were woken by an actor with no underwear steeping over us looking for his underwear. He went on to star in Eastenders.

But the worst was a van. I spent most of the festival smelling of diesel and sweat and was shouted at for weeing out the side door directly into a drain. Which is fair enough.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Winning 3 Bafta’s in one evening.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Richard Gadd, Bilal Zafar, Archie Maddocks, Northern Stage and, if Gary McNair is around, him too.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

Money and a cure for Hep C.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

An audience participation show teaching untrained amateurs the joys of the high wire without a net.

BOOK TICKETS FOR MARK THOMAS: A SHOW THAT GAMBLES ON THE FUTURE, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Charlie Baker

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© Andy Hollingworth

Stand up comic Charlie Baker’s latest show The Hit Polisher is an interesting blend of comedy and cabaret. As an ode to pop music from the 80s, 90s and 00s, there is surely something for everyone within this show. Charlie has made appearances on Harry Hill’s Teatime and the 02 Comedy Gala in recent years, proving himself to be a slick and energetic stand up performer, and he will be performing at Assembly George Square Theatre throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

The opportunity to perform exactly the kind of show you spend all year dreaming of performing. It’s completely up to you what you put on stage. Also being with all your mates in a beautiful city is pretty perfect.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first hour was a mixture of jokes songs and dancing about my life. I’ve continued the theme in every show since.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

A very attractive one. I get a very broad mix of ages and gender. I like that.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

A mouse for 3 weeks. Caught him with some chocolate, felt guilty.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Just starting and realising I was going to be able to do it for a living was amazing. Having a very nice gig in the Channel 4 Comedy Gala at the O2 was intensely fun.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

As I have my children with me I expect to see Sarah and Duck at least twice.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

One Million pounds.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I think it will be a mixture of jokes songs and dancing about my life.

BOOK TICKETS FOR CHARLIE BAKER: THE HIT POLISHER, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Lost Voice Guy

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© Caroline Briggs

Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, has cerebral palsy, which for him means he has a lack of speech. From a comedy point of view, this has allowed him to confront the stigma surrounding disability from an angle that is far more interesting for audiences to see. His blasé approach to the attitudes of others towards his disability, teamed with his dark sense of humour, makes for a deliciously funny combination. Lee is performing at The Stand throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

I think the thing I actually enjoy most about the festival is the fact that I get to hang out with all my comedy mates for a month. Because you only see each other every few months on the circuit, it’s pretty nice to have everyone all in one place for a change! I know I should probably say that the thought of performing to hundreds of people excites me, and of course it does, but I enjoy the social side of the festival just as much.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first ever Edinburgh show was called Voice Of Choice, and it was basically a biographical show about my life so far, and how I ended up being a comedian despite not being able to speak. That was five years ago but I’m still quite proud of the show. 

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I’m not sure really. Because I’m disabled and I talk about disability issues a lot, I do think that I get a lot of disabled people coming to my gigs (if they can access the venue anyway…). But other than that, I haven’t really noticed a certain type of person turning up. I seem to attract all sorts, which I think is a good thing. 

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

It might not be strictly to do with Edinburgh accommodation in the normal sense, but I was stuck in a hospital bed for three weeks during my first year at the Fringe. Basically I got pneumonia about two weeks into my run so I had to stay in an Edinburgh hospital bed while everyone else was packing up and going home. That was quite a nightmare! 

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

It would have to be when I supported Ross Noble at The Stand in Newcastle. Not only is Ross my comedy idol, but Newcastle’s Stand is my favourite venue to play. So to have both of those things together was awesome. It was definitely a dream come true. 

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

I’m a massive fan of Gein’s Family Giftshop so I’m looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us this year. Hopefully it’ll be something very dark and very wrong. 

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

I think a better question would be what would I hope not to lose. I’d quite like not to lose thousands of pounds, but I doubt I’ll get that wish! To be fair, I’m with The Stand who really look after their acts, so it isn’t as bad as it could be. If I can break even I’ll be very happy.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Imagine if medicine had advanced so much that they actually found a way to give me my voice back, and my last show was just me telling jokes with my own voice like any other comedian. That would be both amazing and devastating at the same time. I mean I’d be able to talk, but I wouldn’t have an unique selling point anymore!

BOOK TICKETS FOR LOST VOICE GUY: INSPIRATION PORN, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Ben Van der Velde

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© Andy Hollingworth

Ben Van der Velde is a stand up and podcaster who has been working this year with Barry McStay to produce a brand new podcast entitled Worst Foot Forward, as well as being resident MC at The Good Ship comedy club. Van der Velde’s latest Edinburgh show, Sidekick, is an ode to the underdog. He is performing his free show at the Laughing Horse @ Espionage throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

The consistent smell of hops in the air. Giving American tourists incorrect directions. Seeing which street performers are still alive after another year.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first show was a damnfool idea that – once I’d had it – I had to follow through on. I got the idea into my head that people weren’t writing enough letters anymore, so turned myself into a human chain letter and senT myself to some long lost friends and got them to pass me on to someone they’d not seen in ages. I ended up travelling to Ireland, Luxembourg, Kent, plus a few other places and almost ended up in Belarus, before running out of money/bottle/sanity.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

So far I seem to be able to make everyone from teenagers to nanas laugh. I remember doing a gig in rural Yorkshire a few years ago and at the end a flat-capped old man came up to me and said “I didn’t understand much of what you said lad, but that that I did was very funny.” That’s always stuck with me – I’m pretty confident if you stick me in a room with a bunch of fellow humans I’ll get some laughs out of them.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I’ve been pretty lucky generally. In 2006 I didn’t find any accommodation and ended up sort of squatting in a mate’s flat who was putting on a production of ‘Top Gun: The Musical’. Waking up in my tiny corner of the hallway most mornings to hear Maverick and Goose loudly practising singing The Danger Zone was quite a low point.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

It’s a little thing, but early on in my career I was resident host for the Free Beer Show at The Cellar in Oxford. They got huge names down there and would pack their basement venue out. I got to compère for Reg Hunter and absolutely everything I riffed worked – the crowd were playful, daft and I could have stayed on for hours. After I introduced Reg, as he came on stage he whispered some secret magic words of encouragement in my ear and thanks me for setting up the room for him. He won’t remember, but it was a real, eye-opening “holy shit I can do this!” moment. After the gig he thanked me again and said I was welcome to any of his material. So get ready for 10 minutes about why people often mistake me as Benjamin, King of the Blacks.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

I was blown away by Fin Taylor last year and his preview at my club, The Good Ship, was bang on the money in April, so that’s a must-see. John-Luke Roberts is always fantastic too, I think he’s the master of what the Fringe should be – super clever, super silly and often challenging and uncomfortable, all in the same joke.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

A cult following who will be willing to drink my Kool-Aid safe in the knowledge that they’ll wake up at an amazing gig I’m playing on the other side of a comet.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I think it’ll be a brave call-to-arms to the survivors of the 2024 Brexit Wars to band together and form a new alliance under the leadership of Victoria Derbyshire and a cockroach/Keith Richards/Sandi Toksvig mutant hybrid.

BOOK TICKETS FOR BEN VAN DER VELDE: SIDEKICK, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Cally Beaton

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© Rebecca Need-Menear

Cally Beaton’s new show Super Cally Fragile Lipstick is an introspective look at her own current life situation, embracing the notion of fragility and showing how being fragile doesn’t detract from being great. Cally will be performing at Just the Tonic at the Caves throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Getting away from kids/cats/neighbours/London/grown-up responsibilities for a whole month. And seeing how many days (hours) I can go before starting to consider prescription medication.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

Cat Call last year, written/performed with fellow comic Catherine Bohart, was about womanhood either side of the age of 40. I was 47, Catherine was 27. And I’m really happy for her. It’s great to be young, talented, beautiful and going places. Yup… really, really happy for her.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

It’s pretty broad. I do often get women, and men, in a similar life phase who say it resonates with them but I’ve had lovely (and on occasion not so lovely) feedback from pretty much all ages. Well, to be clear, I’d say it’s more suitable if you’re 16+. Someone brought their 11 year old son along, despite my warnings about some of the content, and I could see the years of therapy lining up ahead of him… At least he knows where the clitoris is now. Never too early for a guy to be told about that.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

A friend came to stay with me for a couple of nights – to sleep on the sofa in a very small one bed flat. He had just omitted to mention he’d be bringing his wife, 2 year old and baby along too…

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

A conversation I had with an autistic teenage fan, the same age as my autistic son, who after coming to the show every day for a week and finally came up to tell me that, after years of feeling like a loser at school, the show had made him feel like a rock star. That was some good sh*t, right there. He told me he hated it if I changed anything though – it needed to be the exact same show every day. That, and doing QI!

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

James Acaster’s trilogy. The grand master of the Edinburgh show format.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

I have a story that I want to tell – and I want to tell it this year while it means something to me. After only a couple of years doing stand-up it’s courageous (some might say idiotic) to be doing my debut hour but hey – getting my story out, crafted as best as I know how, with a few people coming to see it and liking what they see, will send me back home with a mission accomplished. That, and drawing attention to the plight of the ginger menopausal trying to break into comedy, arguably a little belatedly in life. Or maybe everyone else just gets into it early.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Womanhood either side of the age of 90. Obvs.

BOOK TICKETS FOR SUPER CALLY FRAGILE LIPSTICK AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Geoff Norcott

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Geoff Norcott is well known for being one of the only openly right-wing stand up comedians performing at the Edinburgh Festival. His latest show, Right-Leaning But Well-Meaning, is another politically charged show that is sure to spark some heated discussion, and that can only be a good thing. Geoff is performing at the Underbelly, George Square throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

As a fresh faced forty-year-old man, I could go there a boy and come back a star.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

About teenagers. Though that was pre-Yewtree and way less weird sounding then than now.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

People who agree with me and people who don’t. I think I prefer those that don’t. A reluctant laugh is a great noise. I also admire them for coming to see something outside of their echo chamber. Though there is often a lot of tutting.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I always live in the same flat in Leith. All these ‘socialist’ comics, they live in the fancy Meadows. They love the working classes but god forbid they should ever bump into one. Me? Every time I go down Leith walk I bump into working class people. Then they bump into other people. Because they are drunk.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Standing onstage at Camp Bastion in front of three thousand troops, knowing that my knob gags were helping win the war on terror.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

‘Marcus Nickelthorpe’ – He’s 82 and does observational stuff about being old. It’s really depressing apparently but when you come out you also feel really buzzed up about the fact you’re not 82.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

Modest gains really: regular panel show guest, medium sized national tour, sit-com, validation, the nightmares stopping…

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I already know this. It will be called ‘I was so shit at comedy I had to go back to teaching’.

BOOK TICKETS FOR GEOFF NORCOTT: RIGHT LEANING BUT WELL MEANING, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017