BCG Daily Wednesday 19th August 2015
Press clippings
Our Fringe favourites: Part 4
In the latest of her daily guides to our contributors' appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe, Siân Bevan doffs her bonnet at ruffle-strewn improvisers Austentatious.
Sian Cain, Standard Issue, 19th August 2015Feminist infighting? It's no joke, says comedian
She was the feminist comedian who became a poster girl for free speech when her show was shut down -- because some feminists didn't agree with her. Now Kate Smurthwaite is bringing a new show, The Wrong Sort of Feminist, to the Fringe to delve into what exactly free speech means in the 21st century.
Georgie Keate, The Times, 19th August 2015My Edinburgh: Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Brigstocke is one of the more familiar faces -- and voices -- in British comedy.
James Jackson, The Times, 19th August 2015Reviewer review: Claire Smith (The Scotsman)
Claire Smith - or "The Scotsman's Clair Smith", as the WOW 247 website denomes her - is every bit as good a reviewer as you'd expect a veteran hack to be. (Note to comedians: 'hack' is not a pejorative term in journalism.)
Jemyma C. Noevil, FringePig, 19th August 2015Reviewer review: Joseph McAulay (Broadway Baby)
Joseph McAulay concerns himself with theatre in the main, and makes only occasional sorties into comedy. While a thesp overview of comedy is sometimes helpful and revealing, McAulay gives the overall impression of someone who wishes the comedy he's watching could be a bit more - well, theatre-y.
Billy Coconuts, FringePig, 19th August 2015Cabaret in Edinburgh is going from strength to strength
A welcome addition to the Edinburgh Fringe has been the continued growth of cabaret, so much so that it has, for the past few years, had its own section in the Edinburgh Fringe brochure. A valuable art form, it is frequently neglected, rarely getting the proper acknowledgement it deserves.
Richard Jordan, The Stage, 19th August 2015Katy Wix interview
"It was really funny, because they built this amazing set that looked so realistic. So much so, that people put their CVs under the door, trying to see if there were any jobs going."
Tom Eames, Digital Spy, 19th August 2015Alan Carr interview
"With arena shows, the material doesn't evolve. You don't want to take the gamble of trying out new stuff in front of 12,000 people."
Roz Laws, Belfast Live, 19th August 2015John Kearns interview
The eccentric comic made his name at the Edinburgh fringe in a bad wig and rubber teeth - and he just wants to make people laugh. Starting with BBC Three slapstick sitcom Top Coppers.
Paul MacInnes, The Guardian, 19th August 2015Fringe Q&As: Hal Cruttenden
Hal Cruttenden discusses gangsta rap, miracles and why Scots are always nicer than he expects them to be.
The Herald, 19th August 2015Five tribes of Edinburgh
Alfie Brown is your anthropologist...
Alfie Brown, Chortle, 19th August 2015Is the Edinburgh fringe as middle-class as we think?
The perception of the festival crowd as entirely middle-class leads stand-ups such as Sarah Callaghan and Kevin J to package their working-class backgrounds as exotic.
Brian Logan, The Guardian, 19th August 2015The Edinburgh Fringe experience
Jimmy Bird shares his...
Jimmy Bird, Chortle, 19th August 2015Fringe Q&As: Sarah Kendall
Sarah Kendall discusses drowning, fibreglass chickens and arm wrestling.
The Herald, 19th August 2015Fringe Q&As: Showstoppers' Pippa Evans
Showstoppers' Pippa Evans discusses pies, Gladiator's Jet and exfoliating with haggis.
The Herald, 19th August 2015Fringe Q&As: Damien Slash
Damien Slash discusses Louis CK, Nandos and being a fake rock star.
The Herald, 19th August 2015Fringe Q&As: Andrew Ryan
Andrew Ryan discusses heckles, wet towels and Scottish crowds.
The Herald, 19th August 2015Interview: Baker, Graham, Baby, Read and Piff (Link expired)
Fringe performers Charlie Baker, Baby Wants Candy, Howard Read, Ivo Graham and Piff the Magic Dragon visit the #WOWwagon and are forced to answer some morally tricky questions.
Alex Watson, WOW247, 19th August 2015TV review: Top Coppers
It doesn't match the excellent Brooklyn Nine-Nine for quick-fire sass, but Top Coppers could well be a grower in terms of undemanding distraction over the next five episodes.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 19th August 2015Pride gets Russian release, despite anti-gay laws
The 2014 film, Pride, will be receiving a Russian release despite the notorious anti-gay propaganda laws that prevent promoting LGBT people to minors.
Passport, 19th August 2015How Top Coppers was written
As co-creators of new BBC Three comedy Top Coppers, Cein McGillicuddy and Andy Kinnear have spent the best part of a decade developing the fictional Justice City Police Department and it's two flame-haired cops, John Mahogany and Mitch Rust. As the series kicks off, the pair explain the show's back story and the many, many film and TV references you can expect to see in it.
Cein McGillicuddy and Andy Kinnear, BBC Blogs, 19th August 2015Death becomes them: Fringe shows tackling mortality
Can you come to terms with the loss of a loved one by immersing yourself into all the death and destruction covered in Fringe shows? Eight months after losing her Dad, Kirstyn Smith is up for finding out.
Kirstyn Smith, The List, 19th August 2015Who are the Edinburgh fringe's funniest newcomers?
Jonny Pelham, Tez Ilyas and Lolly Adefope aren't among comedy's big names - yet. But there is charisma, fresh material and young talent to spare at the festival this year. Here are eight of the acts to watch out for...
Paul Fleckney, The Guardian, 19th August 2015It's Puddles' guide to the Fringe
With Puddles Pity Party taking the Fringe by storm, we thought we'd ask the man himself to walk us through the Festival, providing his interpretation and thoughts on each of the genres that appear as part of Edinburgh's Fringe.
David P. Scott, ThreeWeeks, 19th August 2015Michael Legge: telling it like it is
We decided weeks before the Festival began that this would be the year when we finally got round to chatting to TW favourite Michael Legge, here on the pages of your Three Weeks magazine. He's back with his new show Tell It Like It Is, Steve. "What's the bloody point of anything ever? I don't know" runs the blurb. This was all going to be so perfect. Then we forgot to organise the interview.
Chris Cooke, ThreeWeeks, 19th August 2015Lou Sanders: What should be private and and public? (Link expired)
Comedian Lou Sanders brings her insight of private schools to the private sector and tells us what should be kept...
Lou Sanders, WOW247, 19th August 2015Jonny Donahoe on Every Brilliant Thing (Link expired)
Initially, you may be sceptical that a play about suicide and depression can be at once hilarious and genuinely uplifting, but such it is with Duncan Macmillian's Every Brilliant Thing.
Katrina Conaglen, WOW247, 19th August 2015Fringe bog blog, toilet humour, replacing crystal balls
Yesterday's Grouchy Club was fairly full and, on the audio recording, not perfect with the sound of a fan - well, we actually had two fans, something the Laughing Horse Free Festival is very good at providing for stuffy Fringe rooms.
John Fleming, John Fleming's Blog, 19th August 2015Not Going Out series 8 talks are going on
Katy Wix, who plays the insanely ditzy Daisy in the BBC One sitcom, is hopeful that it will return for an eighth - and apparently there are talks happening.
Tom Eames, Digital Spy, 19th August 2015TV review: Top Coppers, BBC3
This broadcasting network ain't big enough for two crime-cracking spoofs starring the cream of the current comedy crop. That must be the reason why Top Coppers has taken a while to appear - it was originally scheduled to go out around the same time as Murder In Successville, but the wait for this one has been worth it.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 19th August 2015'Tampon tax' has inspired new wave of female comedians
The main comic inspiration is the risible notion that sanitary products are considered less essential, and therefore more taxable, than a range of daft things like cake decorations and exotic meats.
Alice Jones, The Independent, 19th August 2015Three to see on 20 Aug:
Three recommended shows for Thursday at the Edinburgh Festival 2015.
ThreeWeeks, 19th August 2015Butt Kapinski: "It's me without my human disguise"
After directing 2013's Red Bastard, Deanna Fleysher is back, as trench coat-wearing film noir detective, Butt Kapinski. And as she tells Tim Bano, this time it's personal.
Tim Bano, Fest Mag, 19th August 2015Morgan Berry's top 6 pet loss coping strategies
Here, Morgan Berry gives 6 top coping strategies when dealing with pet loss.
Morgan Berry, The Herald, 19th August 2015Are we total dicks about spellign?
To demonstrate how unfussed we are about boring, anal syntax, we awarded the prize in the WIN LUNCH WITH MISTER KIPPER contest to Aoife Plubbe of Dunbar.
FringePig, 19th August 2015Top 10 jokes from the Edinburgh Festival so far
As it's the tenth day of our reviews from the Fringe here are some of the best jokes so far.
Trevor Davies, The Mirror, 19th August 2015Being a right-leaning comedian may be lonely...
What seems like "political comedy" is more commonly a piss-take of personality types, and there are rich pickings when it comes to the current British left.
Geoff Norcott, The New Statesman, 19th August 2015A script that sounds like a musical score...
Elvis McGonagall chooses his comedy favourites.
Elvis McGonagall, Chortle, 19th August 2015Ian Smith, interview
This weekend I chatted to Ian Smith about his new show Whereabouts and what he'll be getting up to after the Edinburgh Festival.
Chris Mackrell, Black Diamond, 19th August 2015Ricky Gervais is the funniest man alive
In a sprawling, over-the-top Observer exclusive just before the Emmys, the creator and star of ]Derek talks about white angst, Laurel & Hardy and the Golden Globes.
Jacques Hyzagi, New York Observer, 19th August 2015Videos
Podcasts
TV & radio
In And Out Of The Kitchen
Series 4, Episode 3 - The BirthdayDamien decides to celebrate his birthday by taking a narrow boat around the Warwickshire Ring with his parents, Ian, Marion, Mr Mullaney and Anthony in tow.
Top Coppers
Episode 1 - The Chill Of The Cockney FreezerThe Top Coppers investigate the notorious Cockney crime boss Harry McCrane who has taken over an ice cream factory as a guise for selling drugs. Meanwhile, Mahogany wants to ask out new girl Pippa, but he already has plans with Rust for video night...
Terry Alderton: Crazy Now
Terry Alderton: Crazy Now, Episode 4Featuring bears, airports, stand-up, accents and even the odd catchphrase.