Chris Turner: The Edinburgh Interviews 2018
Who? Chris Turner
What? We’re Where We Were
Where? Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs (venue 33)
When? 21:45
Are you prepared for what this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has in store for you?
Gosh, you make it sound so scary! It’s my 12th Edinburgh, and I’ve had a pretty reliable routine that’s got me through so far. The festival’s always changing, always staying the same — as long as the weather’s still mediocre, the Royal Mile is still littered with flyers for Spring Awakening, and City Chippy still does belting Haggis Suppers, it’s the same old Edinburgh.
What is the premise of your Edinburgh show this year?
2018 has been the best year of my life so far, but has also presented the biggest challenges. No matter how well things are going, there are always going to be problems. As one of the posh kids at my school frequently said ‘The most succulent pheasant breast is still riddled with shot’. I’ve never eaten pheasant, but I like the saying.
What was the biggest obstacle you face(d) while putting this show together?
It’s the first of my five solo shows that I’ve written and performed entirely in America, so there’s always the worry that once it’s in front of British audiences, I’ll realise that I’ve been coasting by thanks to my accent and manners. (If I’m honest though, I did a week long run in Orlando, which is crawling with more Brits than an Amsterdam Saturday, so Edinburgh audiences needn’t worry!)
Who would most enjoy your show?
One of the best things about coming back to Edinburgh, year on year, is seeing the audience you attract – so, based on the last four years’ shows, men and women over 18 who don’t mind jokes about esoteric subjects, freestyle raps about esoteric suggestions, and kind of know what the word esoteric means. Them, and Americans, to cheer and applaud when I say that I’m married, otherwise I’ll feel a little let down.
Do you have any other Edinburgh show recommendations?
I’m in a barnstormingly silly show called Aaaand Now For Something Completely Improvised, where I get to mess around for an hour with my best friends. It’s our ninth year doing the show, and it’s a joy to perform. Apart from that self-serving plug, go and support comics doing their debut hours, like the unbelievably funny Matt Rees, and the hilarious slow-burn gags of Heidi Regan. Also, Scott Bennett told me the funniest joke I’ve heard all year — go see his show and ask him to tell you it after.
What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh as a city?
Whether it’s Fringe or not, Edinburgh has this dark, foreboding majesty (oooooh, fancy) that appeals to the part of me that wanted to be a goth but couldn’t get his mum’s permission to use black hair dye. I like walking round it, and absorbing that Victorian plague vibe.
What are your plans for after the festival?
I’ll be returning to LA to top up on greens and chia seeds, before recommencing my assault on America’s penchant for an English accent in a button down shirt.
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR CHRIS TURNER: ‘WE’RE WHERE WE WERE’ HERE